The Path from Yesterday
by Karibou
Summary: COMPLETE! Sequel to “Reap what is Sown.” Discovery of a powerful teleportation device leads to a startling new chapter in Daniel’s life. Mature but not graphic. Language suitable for primetime.
1. The Honeymoon's Over

Title: The Path from Yesterday

By Karibou

Disclaimer: Still not my characters. (_sigh.) _SG-1 belongs to Gecko and MGM. Don't sue me, etc. (Though if it would get me a real-life meeting with Richard Dean Anderson, I might not mind so much…)

Summary – Sequel to "Reap what is Sown." Discovery of a powerful teleportation device leads to a startling new chapter in Daniel's life. Mature but not graphic. Language suitable for primetime.

Spoilers: Anything up to S.8. "Endgame" Also, if you didn't read "Reap," you're going to be a bit lost.

Category: Romance/Angst (of course!)

Pairings: Daniel and… well, you'll see. And, if you've read "Reap," you know there will obviously be lots of cutsie S/J moments. If you hate Ship, don't even bother reading this!

Rating: PG-13

* * *

A/N: Okay, I remember saying I wasn't going to do a sequel to "Reap," but, alas, my muse had other plans. Despite the tone of the first chapter, this story actually centers on Daniel, who was somewhat neglected in the last one. (Poor, lonely Daniel…) Anyway, my ideas for this one are MUCH less defined than they were last time. No idea where this is going. 

And, by the way, I apologize for the VERY shady astrophysics in this chapter. My forte is molecular biology, so I'm afraid my scientific explanation of the device very likely defies several major laws of physics. I'm always open to suggestions on how to refine my made-up technology!

With that in mind, ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

* * *

Chapter One 

Sam yawned groggily as she reached up and swatted at her cheek. Something was tickling the side of her face, and it was disturbing her from the most heavenly leisure-time activity on Earth.

Sleep.

In a way that only the mother of twins could understand, sleep had become a priceless commodity for Sam. Which is why, on the second morning of her honeymoon, she had no idea what would be cruel enough to disturb her so heartlessly.

As her hand reached the offending instrument of her irritation, she realized it was warm, slightly hairy, and infinitely gentle. In fact, it seemed to be a hand. Suppressing a resigned sigh, Sam didn't even bother opening her eyes.

"Okay, Jack. What's going on?" Her mumbled question wasn't even angry, just a bit weary.

In an instant, the light caress of fingertips was replaced with an equally gentle brush from a warm, soft pair of lips. "Sorry to wake you, Sam. But I thought you might want to know what's going on."

Feeling the bed shift beneath the long, lean weight of her new husband, Sam smiled contentedly and snuggled against him. "Mmmm," she mumbled lazily. "Is the world coming to an end again?" She was only half joking.

"Nah," the smile in Jack's voice was obvious. "Nothing that urgent. I thought about letting you sleep, but then I figured I'd get my ass kicked if I made you miss something important."

Sam finally forced her eyelids open. She was met with the infinitely spectacular sight of two, intense, cocoa-colored eyes. Sighing happily, she let his warm gaze ease her into full wakefulness. "Would I do that?" she asked innocently.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Hell, yeah, you'd do that. Besides," he said dryly, "it was bad enough to be sent before the Carter Firing Squad when you were just my second-in-command. I can only imagine how much fun it'd be now that you're my wife."

Sam couldn't help laughing. "That'd be the _O'Neill_ Firing Squad, now. And don't you forget it."

He shook his head. "There is no way I'm calling you O'Neill." Then, affectionately, he looked into her baby-blue eyes. "You'll always be Carter to me."

Sam smiled back at him. "And you'll always be 'sir' to me." It was something of a running joke between them. Married or not, when at work in the SGC, they were still Air Force officers, and were expected to conduct themselves professionally. That meant that on-base, Sam still referred to Jack as "Sir" or "General." Truthfully, nobody at Cheyenne Mountain would be likely to object if Sam and Jack addressed each other less formally – the top secret base was actually pretty laid-back. But, being career Air Force officers, neither Jack nor Sam was comfortable breaking the policy.

Jack's face wrinkled into a grimace. "Sometimes, this military protocol stuff is downright weird. I think there should be a rule that states you no longer have to do all the saluting and respectful 'sir' business once you've seen a person naked."

This time, Sam rolled her eyes. "Sweetie, not to change the subject, but wasn't there an important reason that you decided to wake me?"

"Oh!" Jack seemed to snap back to reality. "Right." Propping himself up in one elbow, he looked down at his wife as he spoke. "They found something weird. At the thing." Seeing her features settle into a rather puzzled expression, he waved a hand absently. "You know. The stone thing. In Iraq."

As comprehension dawned, Sam couldn't quite suppress a flash of pain from clouding her gaze. Though she'd been working remotely with the team of scientists in Iraq for almost four months now, she still had twinges of unease about the device. Just prior to the birth of their twins, Sam had been devastated when the stone circle had malfunctioned; resulting in Jack's presumed death. She squelched a shudder of horror in remembrance of those black days.

Shaking off the memory, she focused on the matter at hand. "What did they find?"

Jack watched the play of emotions over Sam's face regretfully. He hated that he'd inadvertently caused her so much pain. Still, he wasn't one for lengthy emotional discussions, so he simply brushed a lock of hair out of her face and continued. "Some reading or another has them all in a tizzy." He smiled dryly. "I think it was an electro… phase… quantum… something-or-other."

Sam laughed. "That narrows it down a bit." Still smiling, she leaned forward and gently brushed a kiss on her husband's mouth. "Guess I should get up and read the report, hey?"

Jack's eyes darkened seductively. "Hmmm. I guess you should…" Then, smiling in his trademark devil-may-care fashion, he winked. "Or, you could waste a little time with your new husband first…" The end of his statement was cut off when Sam's mouth swiftly met his. As he pulled her into his arms, he was struck by a thought.

Damn, it was nice to be married.

* * *

A few hours later, Sam emerged from the suite of rooms she was sharing with Jack in the Council Palace of the Colonies. Their honeymoon on P6Y-441 had, up to this point, been relaxing and uneventful. Jacob, Daniel and Teal'c had taken the babies back to Earth through the Stargate shortly after the wedding. The three men, along with Jack's ex-wife, Sarah, were babysitting during the couple's two-week long absence. 

Sam wrinkled her nose as she considered Jack's news. Perhaps she shouldn't bet on having a full two weeks alone with her new husband. Life at the SGC was never dull, and she'd long since learned to expect the unexpected.

Striding swiftly down the hallway, she came to a conference room that was currently being used as a home-base for all the SGC staff currently stationed in the Colonies. Since their recently-negotiated trade agreement was in full-swing, there were actually a fair number of Earth personnel on the planet.

Sam opened the door and immediately stifled a grin. Jack, who had been quicker to shower and change after their enjoyable morning together, was seated in one of the padded armchairs with both feet up on the formal conference table. Two of the Colonists in the room were eyeing him askance. The Colonists were a very formal people most of the time, and Jack was pretty good at overturning their proverbial applecart with his irreverence.

"Good morning, sir," she said, smiling warmly at her husband. Though not officially at the SGC, the conference room was bustling with enough Air Force personnel to make Sam switch into "officer" mode.

Jack returned her smile with a somewhat rakish one of his own. "Why yes," he said wickedly, "it _was_ a good morning."

Sam blushed and leveled a disapproving stare at him. Honeymoon or not, they had to behave with _some_ level of professionalism. When Jack just wiggled his eyebrows back at her, she could see that he clearly didn't agree.

Deciding that, for the moment, ignoring him might be the best plan, Sam walked over to the conference table and began leafing through the morning's reports. In a moment, she had the relevant piece of paper in her hand.

Scanning the contents of the memo quickly, Sam did a double-take. "Whoa," she said quietly. Re-reading the paper more carefully, she let out a low whistle.

Jack watched his lovely wife with a sinking feeling in his gut. So much for a leisurely break with lots of sleep and… well, other nocturnal activities. Though, as the morning had proven, such activities didn't necessarily _need_ to be nocturnal…

"This is really unbelievable," Sam said, awe clearly resonating in her voice.

Snapping out of his naughty reverie, Jack looked at his wife and sighed. "Let me guess," he said unenthusiastically. "The thing-a-ma-bob out in the salt marshes of Iraq is suddenly demanding attention."

Looking up from the report, Sam's face was the very picture of apology. "You're not going to believe this, but, through some low-level EM analysis, they've now predicted that the stone ring will actually respond to neutrino emissions in much the same way that the Stargate does. But that's not the weird part. What's really unbelievable is that the computer model also predicts the formation of a…" she hesitated, trying to find the right word, "Well, for lack of a better word, a _folded_ wormhole. Sort of a hybrid between the energy field created by the quantum mirror and a wormhole under the effects of gravitational space-time warping. If these calculations are correct, we're looking at one of the most advanced pieces of technology we've ever seen." Sam looked almost dazed by the prospect.

Jack blinked at his wife. "You're right. I don't believe it." He paused. "I don't even understand it." Sighing dejectedly, he jerked his feet off the conference table and stood up. "What I do understand is that we'll be going home now."

Sam opened her mouth to apologize, but Jack just held up a hand to stop her. "Don't worry about it, Carter. I'm actually impressed we managed to get two whole _days_ by ourselves." He shrugged.

One of the airmen standing nearby stifled a giggle upon overhearing Jack's words. Turning slowly, O'Neill leveled a steady stare at the young man. "What's so funny?" he asked, sounding somewhat grumpy.

The young airman held up both hands defensively. "Nothing, sir. It's just…" he trailed off, smiling in spite of himself. "Well, sir, you just called your wife 'Carter.'"

As Sam burst into an uncontrolled bout of laughter, Jack just rolled his eyes.

It was going to be a long day.


	2. A Bumpy Road

A/N: Well, I must say, this whole Daniel Jackson business is challenging. Writing Jack or Teal'c is pretty easy – they've got such distinct personality quirks! And Sam, being the only SG-1 girl is also pretty straightforward. But, Daniel is much more subtle and, well, _normal_. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or comments.

Again, the parts of the story set in Iraq reflect none of the current tensions in the region, aside from the fact, of course, that the US military pretty much has free reign to go where it wants to in the country (which obviously wasn't the case before the war.) I've been deliberately vague about the geography and timeframe, so I hope it's still believable. As always, hats off to the brave men and women who are currently serving in our Armed Forces.

Oh, and happy 2005!

* * *

Chapter 2 

Daniel absently pushed his glasses farther up his nose and shifted impatiently from one foot to another. The stifling heat of the early Iraqi summer was extremely oppressive, though it didn't seem to register with the intense archaeologist at all. He was far too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really notice his surroundings. "Honestly, Teal'c. I have no idea why Sam asked _me_ to come out here and play with the new gadget they found."

The large Jaffa warrior stood stoically, not betraying any of his thoughts. He, too, appeared unaffected by the weather. "I would assume, Daniel Jackson, that she asked for your assistance because she trusts you greatly."

Shrugging, Daniel ran a hand through his rumpled, dusty hair. In the dry season, even the salt marshes of Iraq were a parched, uncomfortable place to be. Grit from the fine, sandy soil worked its way into everything. Being an archaeologist, Daniel had done a fair number of expeditions to the Middle East, but the particular annoyances of this corner of the world always required some getting used to at first. "I know she trusts me, but I'm not exactly an astrophysicist. I'm sure there are a hundred other people who are more qualified than I am to examine this device."

Teal'c inclined his head slightly to the side. In anyone else, the subtle gesture would hardly be noticeable. However, when performed by the statue-still Jaffa, the head-tilt spoke volumes. Clearly, Teal'c disagreed with his companion. "Perhaps there are other scientists more familiar with astrophysics, Daniel Jackson. But, certainly, your knowledge of the Stargate makes you an ideal candidate to study the teleportation stones. Additionally, it would seem that Colonel Carter has placed great faith in your ability to…" he paused, searching for the right words, "think outside the square."

Daniel stifled a smile. Teal'c did try to master the many colloquialisms found in American English, but he often fumbled the details. "I think you meant, 'think outside the box.' And, she's not Colonel Carter anymore. She's Colonel O'Neill."

Teal'c leveled a dark stare at his teammate. "Your Earth expressions are very odd." Then, relaxing slightly, Teal'c redirected his gaze to the dusty landscape. "I must admit that it is very difficult to think of Samantha as Colonel O'Neill. Referring to her correctly will be rather confusing at first."

Daniel nodded his agreement. "You've got that right. For most of my years in the SGC, _Jack_ was Colonel O'Neill." He smiled. "Guess I'll just keep calling her Sam." Daniel tried to envision Teal'c using such an informal mode of address with their team leader. It was honestly harder to decide which would sound more peculiar from the Jaffa's mouth – 'Sam' or 'Colonel O'Neill.' Shrugging, he returned to his original focus. "In any event, I suppose I'll just have to do my best for her."

Teal'c nodded. "I am certain you will perform your tasks acceptably, Daniel Jackson."

Just then, the screeching of tires interrupted their conversation. Instantly, the marines standing outside the US outpost had their weapons at the ready. After taking a moment to identify the careening vehicle, the men lowered their guns almost in unison. Clearly, the shiny, black jeep was familiar to them.

The vehicle ground to a halt, and the driver's side door was flung open. Out of the cloud of dust surrounding the car stepped a middle-aged man of obvious Arab ancestry. He was compact, dark-haired, and smiling broadly. Surveying the people standing outside the military compound, he located Daniel and Teal'c and waved cheerfully.

The large Jaffa raised an eyebrow uncertainly. "Is this our guide? His driving skills are most unsatisfactory."

Daniel chuckled. "Look on the bright side, Teal'c. If he keeps that pace up for the whole drive, all the dust will blow off of you and you'll be clean as a whistle."

Teal'c looked confused. "Daniel Jackson, please tell me… How clean is a whistle?"

* * *

"I am Kahlil." The cheerful tribesman bowed slightly and extended his hand in greetings to both Daniel and Teal'c. "I drive Mister Jack to Basra from village last season." 

Daniel suddenly recalled Jack's entertaining description of the man standing before him. "Ah, yes," he said politely. "Jack told me all about the time he spent with you."

Kahlil smiled warmly. "How is Mister Jack? Did he get home to see his two baby born?" He gestured for the two men to climb into the car. Teal'c squashed himself in the back seat without a word. Apparently, he, too, had heard Jack's tales of Kahlil and would rather get leg cramps than listen to the tribesman chatter continuously for the next several days.

Left with no other choice, Daniel pulled himself into the passenger seat. "He arrived about an hour after they were born," he said, replying to Kahlil's question.

The man laughed loudly. "One hour too late! Mister Jack must be very mad to miss that, yes?"

Daniel smiled, recalling the touching scene in the hospital following the twins' births. "Actually, I think he was just pretty happy to get there at all." Then, thinking about the hours of agony that Sam had endured during labor, he grimaced. "He didn't miss anything fun."

Kahlil buckled his seat belt and started the car. Looking interested, he spoke conversationally to Daniel. "You there when two baby born?"

He nodded. "Yes. Samantha, Jack's wife, had a lot of pain delivering the babies. But she was very, very happy to see Jack when he got home." Pausing thoughtfully, he looked out the windshield. "Until he walked into the hospital room, she had thought he was dead."

Kahlil glanced incredulously at his passenger. "Dead? Oh no! Then she must be very happy to see him."

Daniel chuckled. "_Very_ happy." He smiled, remembering how totally blown-away they'd all been.

"And they get married now?" Kahlil pulled the jeep out onto the main road, accelerating quickly enough that Daniel thought he heard Teal'c grunt from the backseat.

"Yes, they were married last week." Daniel said, yelling to be heard over the wind rushing through the jeep's open windows. At least, he thought with a sigh, the canvas top was up.

Kahlil grinned. "I am very happy for Mister Jack. When you see him, please give him many my good wishes." Then, smiling even more broadly than before, he gestured to the steering wheel before him. "Mister Jack send me new jeep as 'thank you' for helping him last season. I give Hassan old jeep. We both very happy."

Daniel couldn't help shaking his head. That was Jack, all right. Instead of making a big fuss over the tribesmen who'd saved his life, he'd just quietly located his rescuers and repaid them with a new car. "I'm sure he'll be happy to hear you like the jeep." As the passing buildings began to grow smaller and less frequent, Daniel was finally able to see the natural environment of the Euphrates Delta. It was rugged and dry near the city, though he knew that farther in they'd run into the thick, boggy salt marshes where the tribesmen herded their water buffalo. "How long does it take to reach your village?"

Kahlil shrugged. "Two, maybe three day. It depend on the weather and the road."

Leaning back into his seat, Daniel sighed and settled in for a long, bumpy ride.

* * *

With one ear to his cell phone, Daniel squinted at the central paving stone in the middle of the circle. The two-day trip from Basra had been uneventful, if tediously noisy. Kahlil had chattered incessantly for most of the drive. Daniel was pretty sure he now knew the man's entire family tree for the last, oh, six or seven generations. 

Sighing wearily, the archaeologist leveled his baby-blue eyes at a barely-discernable set of symbols etched into the weathered stone. "Sam, you'll have to speak slowly. The reception out here is really lousy."

"Okay, Daniel you'll need to… and then twist the… but don't jostle the…" Sam's voice faded in and out with the uncertain cellular connection.

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Daniel ran a hand through his already tousled hair. Days of sitting in a jeep riding over uneven terrain had given him a host of uncomfortable aches in some rather personal places. The grit from the dusty soil covered every part of his body, and he was sure he smelled about as appealing as one of Kahlil's water buffalo. All those discomforts, combined with a monster case of jet lag, had Daniel just about at the end of his proverbial rope. This latest snag with the rotten cellular connection was just about the last straw.

"Sam," he snapped unhappily, "This is going to have to wait until I can dig out my signal booster for the phone. I know you're anxious to get started on this, but we just got here, and I haven't unpacked a thing yet." He knew there was a testy edge to his voice, and that he was taking his frustrations on Sam, but he just couldn't help it. Besides, if the connection was as bad on her end as it was on his, she'd probably only gotten half of his grumpy tirade anyhow.

There was a pause, as Sam seemed to digest his words. "Okay, Daniel. I'll talk to you later. Tell… said hi. Settle in and… Okay?"

Daniel blinked. "Sure Sam." He hoped he hadn't missed anything too important. "Bye." Clicking off the phone, Daniel sighed and shoved it into his pocket. Looking around, he tried to see if Teal'c was around.

The men who'd been sent to this remote hillside had done a good job of securing the site. There was a large, canvas tent set up over the circle of stones. Currently, the tent was filled with a few scientists and host of impressive-looking equipment that flashed and beeped at odd intervals. Just on the other side of the makeshift laboratory, a tiny tent village had sprung up to house the many scientific and military personnel who were staffing the site.

Not seeing the large Jaffa in the main tent, Daniel was just about to get up and look for him, when something on the center paving stone caught his eye. It almost looked like… but, no. That couldn't be.

In typical Daniel fashion, he intently leaned forward to examine one of the symbols carved into the smooth, stone surface. He was so involved with his discovery that he'd completely tuned out the other people in the tent with him – people, who, at the moment, were shouting something urgently in his direction.

When his fingers gently made contact with the symbol, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Startled, he looked up and saw three of the scientists in the tent running at breakneck speed _away_ from the circle. With a sinking feeling in his gut, Daniel stood up and prepared to do the same. However, before his muscles could respond to his brain's command, a blinding flash of light overcame his senses, followed by the thunderous roar of an explosion.

Daniel had time for one thought before the shock wave hit him.

Oh hell. Sam's really gonna kick my ass for this.


	3. More Unexpected Side Effects

A/N: Okay, here's where things start to get interesting…

* * *

Chapter 3 

Hazy motes of memory floated around Daniel's consciousness like dust caught in a sunbeam. As they passed in and out of focus, he was struck with thoughts of the most important aspects of his life. For a moment, he felt the presence of Jack O'Neill and reflected on the odd yet powerful friendship that the two had formed. An instant later, he could see the figures of Sam and Teal'c, garbed in SGC-issued BDUs. These dear friends, the members of SG-1, had become his only real family after…

Sha're. Her dark, piercing eyes and gleaming ebony hair had transfixed him from the first moment he'd laid eyes upon her. The deep, abiding pain of her loss still resided deep in his soul. Death, ascension and rebirth had not been able to erase the grief. Time had dulled it, certainly, but that dull, persistent ache was part of him as surely as his love of languages or his sandy brown hair was a part of him.

Beneath all those human emotions, however, lay something deeper. Borne of self-reflection and refined through painstaking discipline, Daniel held profound convictions about his place in the world. It was a sense of self that few individuals ever achieved. He _knew_, without reservation or uncertainty, that there was a definite presence of good and evil in the universe. And he, for one, had no doubt as to which side he was on. Helping the helpless was more than an inspiration to him. It was his sole purpose and driving mission. With Sha're's death, he'd lost his last ties to personal happiness and satisfaction. Now, he knew he was living for something much greater than himself.

For this reason, he clung to life like a drowning man clings to a life preserver. He _needed_ to get back into the battle. It was this deep, emotional connection to the world that had pushed him back to his physical existence after his ascension.

He had no intention of giving up now.

* * *

The quiet, steady beeping of the cardiac monitor had lulled Sam into an exhausted lethargy. In theory, she was still on her honeymoon. In actuality, however, she hadn't had more than a few hours alone with her new husband since they'd returned from P6Y-441. At first, she'd been busy with planning Daniel and Teal'c's trip to Iraq. Then she'd been blindsided with Daniel's injury. 

The blast had rendered him stable but unconscious. Since it had been deemed safe to move him, he'd been airlifted via helicopter from the hilltop research site to Basra, and then flown directly to the SGC's infirmary.

Sighing, she repressed a feeling of guilt. Daniel had not been confident in his ability to examine the device, and Sam now felt horrible for having talked him into going anyway. She should have given him better directions. She should have been more specific. She should have…

Sam squared her shoulders and slammed the door on those thoughts. If there was one thing she'd learned from Jack, it was that dwelling on past failings was a useless waste of time. It was far more productive to concentrate on the future.

Unfortunately, in this case, the future was rather uncertain. Sam tried not to think about the consequences of Daniel's encounter with the stone ring. Luckily, the force of the blast hadn't killed him outright, and there had been plenty of people around to tend to him after the mishap. She recalled that following the last accident with those stones, Jack had been teleported to Earth and left lying unconscious on a deserted hilltop for almost two days. He'd almost died from exposure. At least that was one thing Daniel didn't need to worry about.

On a positive note, they had learned something new about the stones. Since an entire host of scientific instruments had been monitoring the circle when it had been activated, they'd found volumes of new information.

And that wasn't all they'd found.

Sam remembered _her_ last mishap with alien tools. It had resulted in her illegitimate pregnancy with Jack's twins. At the time, Teal'c had classified her hyper-fertility and pregnancy as "unexpected side effects" of the alien beverage that she'd mistakenly consumed in the presence of someone she'd lusted after for years.

Daniel's "unexpected side effect" was no less impressive or astonishing.

A familiar voice suddenly startled Sam from her thoughts. "I thought you might need some cheering up, so I brought you a surprise."

Turning swiftly, she saw Jack stepping into the infirmary carrying something small and squirming. Teal'c was right behind him with a second, identically shaped bundle.

Grinning in spite of her worry and guilt, Sam stood up and rushed to her husband. Little Janelle was punching and kicking rather impressively as she struggled to be free from the blanket she was wrapped in. At almost four months old, the twins were starting to develop some independence. Janelle especially seemed to like "tummy time," and would sit for minutes at a time with her head and chest raised up off the floor, looking around at the world. Jonathan, who was a bit chubbier than his sister, wasn't quite ready to push his head up for long periods of time, and so he preferred to be held in a seated position. When awake, however, neither baby liked being cradled horizontally, as it interfered with their view of everything around them.

When Sam walked into Janelle's line-of-sight, the little girl lit up with an enormous, toothless grin. "Hello, sweetheart!" Sam cooed to her daughter. Leaning over, she kissed one rosy cheek with obvious tenderness. Then, stepping to Teal'c, she performed an identical ritual with baby Jonathan. "How are my babies today?"

Jack smiled at the change in his wife. Since Daniel's accident two days ago, she'd been withdrawn and upset. Sam and Daniel had always been good friends, but since Daniel's unending support after Jack's "death," the two had become as close as siblings. Even though Doctor Brightman had assured Sam that Daniel would likely follow Jack's road to recovery and emerge unscathed, Sam wouldn't relax until she'd seen it for herself.

In typical Carter-like fashion (no matter what her name was, he could not bring himself to think of his wife as "O'Neill-like") she had clung to the SCGs infirmary with single-minded determination, refusing to leave until Daniel showed improvement. In the days since Sarah had happily agreed to watch the twins for the remainder of their honeymoon, Sam hadn't spent more than a few hours alone with the babies. Jack had tried to remind her on several occasions that Sarah was watching the twins so she could _enjoy_ herself, but his wife had simply brushed his logic aside. She'd insisted that she wouldn't be able to enjoy anything, so long as Daniel remained unconscious.

And so, Jack reasoned, if you couldn't bring Muhammad to the mountain, you should instead bring the mountain to Muhammad. He'd coerced Teal'c into helping him load both babies into and out of the car. It was a quick trip from Sarah's home to the SGC, where the babies had become regular celebrities amongst the staff. He'd rarely seen anything as amusing as a bunch of stoic, rigid military personnel turned into baby-talking saps at the sight of two pudgy, bald infants. Thankfully, his wife was more susceptible to the twins' charm than anyone. As soon as she'd seen them, she'd lit up like a Christmas tree.

Jack reached over with his free hand and brushed a stray lock of hair from his wife's face. "They're doing just fine. Thought we'd visit Mommy and Uncle Daniel."

At the mention of Daniel's name, a shadow passed over Sam's features. Still, it was hard to remain gloomy for long in the presence of the two smiling, drooling faces. Gently taking Jonathan from Teal'c, she walked over to Daniel's bedside.

"His brainwaves have become less comatose and more sleep-like in the last few hours. The doctor says that she's pleased with his improvement," Sam said quietly. Clearly, however, from the worry in her voice, she didn't necessarily share that assessment.

Jack followed her, carting a squirming Janelle along with him. "I'm sure he'll be awake in no time."

Sam smiled, but couldn't completely eliminate the anxiety in her eyes. Settling into the chair she'd pulled along side Daniel's bed, she sat Jonathan up in her lap and spoke softly to the unconscious patient. "Hi, Uncle Daniel," she said, raising Jonathan's hand in a pudgy baby-wave.

Jack couldn't suppress a smile at the darling picture that they made. "Maybe if we take Jonathan's diaper off and aim him in Daniel's general direction, it'll wake him up."

Sam opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a weary voice from beside her.

"Don't even think about it, Jack. Besides," Daniel said, prying open one of his eyelids, "there's no need. I'm already awake."

"Daniel!" Sam's response was joyous and automatic. "Thank God, you're all right!"

The exhausted archaeologist squinted his baby-blue eyes at Sam as he winced painfully. "I think 'all right' is a bit optimistic." He groaned slightly. "I feel like I've pulled every muscle in my body."

"I will get the doctor. It is good to see you awake, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c's voice was unusually cheery as he left the room to find Dr. Brightman.

Jack shook his head at his old friend. "Yeah, I remember how that feels." He tried to sound reassuring as he continued. "On the bright side, it does go away after a few weeks."

Clearly, that statement didn't have the desired effect on Daniel. "A few _weeks_?" Groaning again, he muttered something about "damn alien technology" under his breath. Looking back at Sam, he ground his teeth against the pain and concentrated on something more productive. "Did you at least figure out what went wrong?"

Sam considered the question a moment. Then, suddenly, she reached over to the bedside table, picked up Daniel's glasses and handed them to him. "You might want these," she said distractedly.

Slowly, Daniel was able to force his muscles into complying with his brain's commands. In a moment, he was able to see things much more clearly. "Thanks," he said. When he glanced around the room and saw his tiny visitors, he couldn't quite suppress a smile. "Hey, little ones!" he said, enjoying the little waving lurches that baby Jonathan was making.

Sam, too, had to smile. "I think he wants Uncle Daniel to hold him." Kissing her son on the top of his head, she directed her next remark to him. "Maybe next time, sweetie. Uncle Daniel has a boo-boo right now."

Jack rolled his eyes. Having been in Daniel's exact position almost four months ago, he could clearly recall the aching misery that their friend was going through. 'Boo-boo' hardly seemed to sum it up properly.

Daniel, however, didn't comment. Instead, he re-directed the conversation back to its original topic. "So," he said curiously, "what _did_ you learn about those stones?"

Sam glanced at Jack and swallowed nervously. Clearly, she was reluctant to discuss the topic. She'd much rather wait until Daniel had regained some strength before having that particular conversation. Still, she couldn't very well lie to him. So, taking a deep breath, she began speaking. "Well," she said hesitantly, "We know that you discovered some symbols on the stones. The men working on the device originally were physicists, not archaeologists, and they apparently dismissed the markings as random scratches. After all," she said, "the stones were very weathered, and those marks were hardly discernable."

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. So, I guess I should take back my comments about not being the right person for the job, hey?"

Sam winced. "In light of your injuries, I'm not going to argue the point any further. You may have been better off if…" Suddenly, she stopped, as she appeared to remember something important.

When she didn't immediately continue her sentence, Daniel leveled his blue eyes at her expectantly. "Better off if what?" Seeing Sam exchange another look with Jack – this one much longer and more meaningful – Daniel felt his stomach clench. "Sam? What aren't you telling me?" His voice was quiet and perceptive.

Licking her lips, Sam reluctantly continued. "We discovered something else about the stone circle. As the computers predicted, the – for lack of a better term – wormhole formed by the stones was very unique. It was incredibly warped, similar to what happens when a standard wormhole passes through the gravitational field of a star, but in a more significant manner. Additionally, it gave off energy signals remarkably similar to those emanating from the quantum mirror."

Daniel nodded impatiently. He grasped enough wormhole physics to understand that those facts made the teleportation stones a very powerful tool. They could potentially provide the ability to transport people or items through space, time, or even dimensional barriers. Still, none of that information was new to him. He _really_ wanted to hear what Sam _hadn't_ told him yet. "Go on," he commanded, sounding firm in spite of his fatigue.

Sam drew a deep breath. "Well, we're not sure why… Jack seems to think he forgot a step when he originally placed the 'key' into the locking mechanism on P3X-812… Anyway, unlike our Stargate, the device here only seems to have the ability to dial _in_, not out."

Daniel looked perplexed. Why was she worried about telling him that? "So, that explains why I'm still on Earth, and not someplace else."

Nodding, Sam still looked anxious. Clearly, she hadn't gotten to the troublesome part yet. "Right. As far as we know, this device _can't _take you anywhere else."

He still didn't understand what the big deal was. "So, if I wasn't affected by the device, why do I feel like I was hit with a sledgehammer?" Daniel winced again as he shifted his head slightly on his pillow. "That blast was something else. It's amazing I wasn't killed."

Sam shifted Jonathan on her lap uncertainly. "That's just it. You _were_ affected by the device." Pointedly not looking at Jack, her features took on a grayish cast. "According to all our readings, that blast actually _did _have enough energy to kill you." She swallowed. "And, apparently, that's exactly what it did, right before it reached back in time and grabbed you away in the instant just before the blast struck. It then placed the 'you' who was microseconds younger than the dead 'you' onto the stone circle. It seems that the trauma to your body was caused by a lack of calibration. It should have grabbed the old you a few microseconds sooner. Your body was exposed to some of the energy from the blast."

From across the room, Jack's jaw had dropped open. "Wait!" he said forcefully. "Do you mean to say that my remains really _are_ buried at Arlington?" Clearly, this bit of information was news to him, too.

Sam reluctantly looked at her husband. She said nothing, but nodded slightly.

Daniel, too, looked disconcerted by the revelation. "Wow. So Jack really _was_ killed in that blast. He's only here because that device reached back in time and placed a living Jack onto the stones in Iraq." Seeing that Sam looked a bit ill at that pronouncement, he kept talking, hoping to distract her from those gloomy thoughts. After all, he had been around during the weeks when Sam had grieved her beloved's death. It had not been pretty. "And, you think I didn't get shipped off to another one of these stone circles because this one is an 'incoming-only' device?"

Evidently, his diversion worked, because Sam seemed to snap out of her unpleasant memories in order to answer his question. "That's right."

Hoping to keep her talking, Daniel rambled a bit aimlessly. "So what effect do the symbols have on the device's function on Earth? If nothing is sent to the worlds represented by those symbols, why did anything happen at all when I touched one?"

Sam answered automatically. "Nothing was _sent _there, but something _arrived _from there." Then, hearing her own response, she bit her lip with a silent curse.

Daniel glanced at Jack. His eyes were closed, and he, too, had an "I can't believe she just said that" look on his face. In light of his friends' extreme discomfort, he almost dreaded asking the obvious question. Taking a deep breath, he plunged ahead.

"So, what arrived?"

At that moment, Teal'c entered the infirmary with Doctor Brightman following close behind. He was about to speak, when he noticed the palpable tension in the room. "Is something wrong, Daniel Jackson?"

Daniel tried to shrug, but immediately winced at the resulting pain. Trying a more verbal approach, he answered the large Jaffa uncertainly. "I'm not sure, Teal'c. Sam and Jack just let it slip that something was summoned here by my accident. They were just about to tell me what that was when you came in."

During Daniel's speech, Dr. Brightman had walked to the many instruments at his bedside. Before anyone had a chance to respond to his last statement, the young doctor spoke enthusiastically to her patient. "Dr. Jackson, you appear to be in excellent condition. In a few days, when the fatigue and pain wear off, you'll be back to your old self."

Jack stood behind her, shaking his head. When Daniel glanced at him, he clearly mouthed the word, "_WEEKS_."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "That's great, doc," he said, not sounding especially excited. Instead, he looked pointedly at Sam, Jack, and Teal'c as he continued impatiently, "Now, is _anyone _going to tell me exactly what I've conjured with my mishap?"

After a long moment of silence, Jack looked at Dr. Brightman. With a questioning look, he tilted his head toward the far wall and raised his eyebrows expectantly. In response, the doctor thought for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.

Jack broke the silence, gazing directly at his friend. "Tell you what, Danny-boy. Instead of telling you what you brought back for us, I'll do one better." His words were light, but his eyes told a much different story.

"I'll show it to you in person."

* * *

Packing Daniel into the wheelchair had been an unpleasant ordeal. His stiff, protesting muscles had not easily cooperated with their desire to get him seated and mobile. Still, he'd gritted his teeth and borne the discomfort. He could tell by the nervous, subdued atmosphere amongst his friends that he was about to encounter something _big_. 

Once he was situated, Jack had handed Janelle off to Teal'c and gotten behind the wheelchair's handlebars. Wordlessly, he pushed Daniel from the room. With some alarm, Daniel noted that no one else was following. This could only be for one reason – clearly his dearest friends wanted to give him privacy to absorb the upcoming revelation in solitude.

The trip was not a long one. In fact, he was pushed just two doors down, to another room in the infirmary. From past experience, Daniel knew that this room was an intensive-care unit of sorts. Only the most critical cases were placed in this particular cubicle. When the door opened, Daniel took a deep breath and steeled himself for the worst.

His first surprise was in seeing Thor, a gray, fragile-looking Asgard standing in the room. For a moment, this was enough to throw him off-balance. The Asgard were in the process of reconstructing their civilization following a devastating attack by the Replicators. His presence at the SGC was an omen of great significance.

A moment later, Daniel noticed the bed. From his position, it took a moment to identify the small, frail figure. There were dozens of instruments monitoring a slew of vital signs, which further confirmed Daniel's suspicion that this patient was gravely ill. Finally, as Jack pushed him closer to the bed, Daniel got a good look at the ashen face lying on the stark white pillowcase.

Suddenly, the world seemed to tip sideways. Involuntarily, a sharp breath of shock rasped painfully into his throat. Dimly, he felt his hands clench the blanket on his lap, but was so transfixed by the vision before him, that he didn't even register the overwhelming pain the action caused him.

It was impossible.

It was a miracle.

It was his wife.


	4. Shock and Awe

A/N: Shew! Talk about delays. I've been so wrapped up in "Learned by Heart," that this one got shoved to the backburner for a while. Anyway, I've been re-inspired, so here's another chapter – just to prove to you guys that I haven't forgotten or given up on this story!

I've actually spent a good deal of time looking back over my early SG-1 DVDs, trying to capture the essence of Daniel's relationship with his wife. (I even re-watched the movie!) My first several attempts at this chapter were tossed into the recycle bin, because they were too syrupy. I think, however, that this one finally works. Oh, and I once again apologize for my rather shaky scientific explanations. I am so _NOT _into theoretical astrophysics.

Finally, I know there are a lot of Janet/Daniel fans out there, but since I'm writing this as a sequel to Reap, I'm afraid she's already dead. Hopefully, though, his relationship with Sha're will be believable enough to keep things interesting.

* * *

Chapter 4 

Daniel's experiences with death could hardly be classified as typical. He'd not only seen all the people of Abydos ascend to a higher plain of existence in place of a "traditional" death, but he'd actually undergone the phenomenon himself, before being reborn to a physical presence shortly thereafter. Additionally, he'd witnessed the miraculous "resurrection" of his best friend just a few months ago. In his world, life and death had proven to be relative things – relative, that is, with one, painful exception.

Sha're's death had, in some ways, been more of a life-altering experience for him than his own ascension. Losing her had been horrifying, heartbreakingly necessary, and totally final. At some level, he'd made peace with her death, but in other ways, he knew he'd forever be missing part of himself.

And now, suddenly, he seemed to have found it.

Looking at the pale, expressionless features of his beloved wife, Daniel felt a sense of surreal astonishment creep over him. Could this really be happening? Could his Sha're really be here in the SGC's infirmary, being tended by a small, grey alien from another galaxy?

Quietly, a gentle hand came to rest on Daniel's shoulder. The unexpected sensation made him jump slightly in surprise, then hiss at the sharp pain that the movement elicited.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." Jack's voice was unusually quiet and subdued.

Unable to turn his head far enough to see his friend, Daniel nodded slightly. He was almost grateful for the stiffness in his body, as it gave him an excuse to avoid the concerned look that he was sure Jack was currently directing at him. "It's fine," he said numbly to Jack's apology.

Jack raised his eyebrows at that comment, but said nothing. He wasn't big on deep, emotional analyses – and any conversation that might occur at this moment was _guaranteed _to include one of those.

Before Daniel could formulate enough coherent thought to frame any of the million questions flying around in his head, Thor padded over and looked piercingly into his eyes. Actually, Daniel admitted, he had no idea if Thor's gaze was meant to be piercing or not, but the alien's physiology ensured that _all_ his expressions appeared disconcertingly pointed.

"Doctor Jackson," the small creature said soothingly, "I'm sure you must have many questions about Sha're's presence here. If you will allow me to explain, I may be able to provide some answers."

Still reeling in shock, Daniel nodded mutely and tried relaxing his death grip on the blanket in his lap.

Apparently satisfied with that response, Thor blinked thoughtfully before speaking. "Then I shall start at the beginning. When O'Neill first activated the stone circle several months ago, our sensors in this galaxy picked up some rather anomalous readings. At the time, we did not connect them with his disappearance, because they were centered here on Earth, and clearly, we did not know there was any connection to the stone circle and this planet. By the time O'Neill was discovered alive, we had long since written off the readings as a sensor malfunction."

As he spoke, Thor's odd features clearly conveyed his interest in the subject. That alone was enough to capture Daniel's complete attention. Anything that the Asgard found fascinating was bound to be significant.

"Two days ago," the alien continued calmly, "our sensors again reported some very irregular readings. This time, however, they recorded values that were exponentially higher than the original set of data. It was clear to us that something quite powerful had affected the fabric of space-time, but we could not fathom what that might be. In our concern, we contacted the SGC for additional information. It was then that O'Neill told us of your incident at the Stone Circle.

"When I analyzed the data gathered during the Circle's activation, I was quite astonished. The device is clearly of Ancient design and appears to be capable of altering time and dimensional realities. Much more research is required to discern how it functions, but we were able to discover a few things."

Daniel listened patiently, though part of his brain was insistently demanding to know how any of this related to his wife's presence in the cubicle's hospital bed. Biting his tongue for now, he waited for the alien to make his point.

Thor seemed to sense Daniel's underlying edginess and began speaking with more haste and purpose. "First of all, it is clear that the circle is not functioning at peak efficiency. It appears to require either a thorough calibration, or a more precise control mechanism. We presume that this inefficiency is caused by the same expansion of space that first hindered your attempts to use the Stargate. For this reason, in its present state, the Stone Circle would only be capable of transporting materials over short spans of time or from realities similar to the present. Additionally, as we stray farther from our current position in space-time, the device becomes less able to compensate for the enormous release of energy that is required for the transfer."

Thor turned to gaze at the pale woman on the bed. When he spoke, his voice was gentle. "Your wife, Daniel Jackson, was brought here from a time or reality very close to our own, though we have no way of knowing how close until she regains consciousness. Her physical age is consistent with what it would be if she were still alive in this reality, though she has no Naquadah in her body and carries no symbiote." He turned his large, glassy, black eyes back to Daniel. "Something of her presence here can be explained by the symbol that you discovered on the surface of the Circle's stones. You obviously recognized the point-of-origin symbol for Abydos and traced it with your finger. This seemed to activate the device in some way, though we are still not certain how. Furthermore, the conjuration of Sha're must have been controlled by some mental guidance on your part. It cannot be chance that, of all the residents of Abydos in all the times and realities the Circle had access to, only a symbiote-free Sha're was summoned."

Daniel's breath left him in a whoosh. In spite of the pain it caused him, he reached up and ran a hand through his tousled hair. Thor's accounting of the facts was almost unfathomable. There was a device in Iraq that had allowed him to pull his wife through space-time from another dimension. Her journey had obviously not been easy, given her current, critically-ill condition. Perhaps most frightening, however, was the fact that not even the Asgard knew exactly how she'd gotten here. It was a truly unbelievable situation.

Finally, Daniel spoke, unable to contain his thoughts any further. "Will she live? And what effect will this have on her reality? Would sending her back make things better or worse? For that matter, _can _we send her back?" The alien's explanation seemed to have created more questions than it had answered.

Thor blinked his large, obsidian eyes and peered thoughtfully at the archaeologist. "Honestly, Daniel Jackson, I do not know. The device is still very much a mystery to us. Perhaps, in time, we will be able to send her back. However, as you have noted, there may be negative repercussions to that action. We simply will not be able to assess our options completely until we have a more complete understanding of how the stone circle operates."

Daniel sat quietly, struggling with a host of conflicting emotions. Part of him was horrified with the trauma he'd inflicted on this unspoiled version of his beautiful wife. Had he torn her from the arms of an alternate version of himself? That idea was almost too awful to contemplate. He'd seen Jack deal with an "alternate" version of Sam who'd been grieving for her lost alternate-reality O'Neill. It had been awkward and confusing for everyone involved.

At the same time, there was a large part of Daniel that was completely overwhelmed by being in the physical presence of his beautiful, beloved Sha're once again. It was the answer to every grief-induced wish he'd ever held deep in his heart. His wife had been his touchstone and inspiration. Her appearance, for all the complications and dilemmas it presented, was still nothing short of a miracle.

Daniel sighed deeply, and hesitantly reached out to caress Sha're's pale cheek. Her skin was smooth and warm; exactly as he remembered it feeling. "Thor," he asked softly, "will she be okay?" The grayish cast to her features and deep circles beneath her eyes were not an encouraging sight.

Again, the alien eyed Daniel sympathetically. "She has undergone great trauma. Due to the poor calibration of the device, Sha're was exposed to a considerable burst of energy. Honestly, we have no idea what the effects of this trauma will be on a long-term scale. O'Neill appears to have suffered no lasting effects from his encounter with the stones, though he traveled a far shorter path through the fabric of space-time, and was therefore less affected by the device's maladjustment. She appears to be stable, but comatose. It is hard to predict when, or even _whether _she will recover. Neither you nor she appeared to be affected by any of our standard treatments for brain injuries. Clearly, however, healing is possible. You, yourself, are living proof of that. I suppose, Daniel Jackson, we will have to wait and see."

Again, Daniel felt Jack's hand settle gently on his shoulder. "We're all here to help," he said quietly.

Smiling at his friend's simple, heartfelt words, Daniel nodded. "Then, I suppose, I'll just have to wait." Patience was something that he usually had in spades, especially since his ascension. This time, however, Daniel suspected that the waiting would be much more challenging than any he'd ever undergone before.


	5. Old ideas

A/N: It's my birthday, so I've decided to give myself a present and take time to post this latest chapter! Yay! Sorry for the delay on updating this. Those last marathon chapters of _Learned by Heart, Kept in Mind_ sorta deflated all my creative urges for a few weeks. Happily, I'm now feeling refreshed and ready to roll.

Again, this is my first attempt at writing anything not purely centered on Sam-Jack ship. Please let me know what I can do to make Daniel more realistic or interesting, should you have any suggestions. (I'm having a hard time with him!) And, never fear, there will be plenty of S-J shippy goodness for all those who've been following the other two stories in my Ring trilogy.

By the way, voting is on at the Stargate Fan Awards site. Thanks to my awesome readers, both _Reap_ and _Learned _were nominated this year (_Reap_ in the Family-rated section, and _Learned_ in Adult.) Please note, I'm **not** soliciting your vote. Vote for whoever you like. But, the site is a great place to find good Stargate fanfics of all genres. So check it out.

And with that, let's get back to the show!

* * *

Chapter 5

Teal'c stood silently in the corner of the cold, sterile room, looking as animated as a stone statue. Being a warrior, his ability to help the present situation was limited. Still, he found himself unable to leave the infirmary when his friend was so clearly distressed.

The door to the small room opened, revealing a familiar, if somewhat weary figure. Slowly, the figure stepped into the room, looking intently at the cheerless sight across the room.

Without moving, Teal'c spoke quietly. "He is asleep, O'Neill."

Jack jumped at the unexpected voice beside him. "Jeez, T. I didn't know you were in here." Then, looking across the room at the figure slouched over the hospital bed, he sighed softly. "How long has he been like that?"

Teal'c's face remained unchanged, though his voice spoke of his concern. "He has not left her side since you brought him in here yesterday. The doctor has attempted to remove him on three separate occasions, but he has made it clear he will not be moved without an act of force." Teal'c's eyes narrowed grimly. "I helped persuade the doctor that such an action would not be wise."

A small, bemused smile passed quickly over Jack's features. "You're a pretty scary guy when you want to be, Teal'c. I'm glad you're on our side." The Jaffa's eyebrow shot up at that remark, but Jack just shrugged it off. "Any change?"

Wordlessly, Teal'c shook his head.

Jack reached up and rubbed the back of his neck with another sigh of resignation. "Damn. This whole thing just gives me the creeps."

Teal'c tilted his head. "In what way?"

Quietly, Jack settled into one of the hard, plastic chairs pushed up against the far wall. "I really can't put my finger on it. Carter says I'm just weirded out from my whole 'dead on another planet' incident. And maybe she's right. I just can't help feeling like there's something else going on, though."

One side of Teal'c's mouth rose in an amused smile.

Jack blinked, clearly unable to see any humor in his words. "What?"

Teal'c stepped across the room and settled into the chair beside Jack's. "I was just wondering, O'Neill, if you will ever refer to your wife by her new name."

Jack speared the large warrior with a black look. "Seems pretty unlikely to me," he muttered. "See, T, there's an Earth expression that goes, 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks.'"

"And you, Jack, are definitely an old dog." The sound of Daniel's sleepy voice instantly had both men turning toward the bed.

"Hell, Daniel. I'm sorry. Didn't mean to wake you." Jack winced sympathetically as his friend straightened in his chair, clearly pained by the movement. "If you want, we'll get lost so you can get some more sleep."

Daniel waved absently. "Don't bother. I was barely dozing anyway."

Teal'c started to rise from his seat. "If there is anything you need-"

"I'm fine, really," he interrupted quickly, motioning for his friends to stay seated. "Besides, I'll want your support if Doc Brightman comes back in here and threatens to move me back to my own room."

Jack nodded. He didn't bother asking whether the doctor's orders were in his friend's best interest. He could see by the stubborn cast to Daniel's features that nothing short of four-point restraints was going to keep him from his wife's bedside.

Daniel saw the acceptance on his friends' faces and relaxed slightly. Then, recalling Jack's last few statements, his eyes sharpened thoughtfully. "So, you've got a weird feeling about all this?"

Jack's features momentarily clouded over with an odd, anxious expression. "Yeah. I do." He scratched his head, trying to put his thoughts into words. "I wish I could explain it, Danny. There's just something about this whole situation that I can't quite put my finger on." He gazed off into space. "It's like that feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something important, like turning off the oven or paying the phone bill, but you can't figure out exactly _what_ you forgot." Then, shrugging, he focused back on his companions. "Either that, or it's gas."

Smiling, Daniel rolled his eyes. Knowing Jack, it probably _was_ gas. Still, after considering Jack's words, he looked at his friend thoughtfully. "It very likely has something to do with all that Ancient knowledge you used to have in your head. Thor did say the transport device was probably Ancient in origin."

Jack nodded, though he didn't appear entirely convinced. "Yeah, I suppose so."

Daniel appeared intrigued by Jack's reluctance to accept the idea. "What else could it be?" he asked, sounding genuinely puzzled. "Besides gas," he added quickly, cutting off the glib reply before Jack had a chance to utter it.

Teal'c smirked at Daniel's statement. "Perhaps it is O'Neill's lack of sleep that is hampering his understanding of the situation," he interjected, adding his own dry humor to the exchange.

Jack groaned and rubbed his eyes. "That's entirely possible," he muttered.

Daniel smiled sympathetically. "So, I take it the twins aren't sleeping through the night yet?"

O'Neill grimaced. "Jonathan is. He's just like his daddy. I'd bet he'd sleep through the end of the world if it happened during naptime." All three of them smiled at that. While Jack hadn't actually slept through an apocalyptic crisis, none of them doubted that he _could_. "But Janelle is a whole other story. She's up every three hours, like clockwork." He shook his head. "When I thought I'd be losing sleep on my honeymoon, this isn't exactly what I had in mind."

Daniel held up a hand. "Okay, enough on that subject. Besides the mountain of guilt I feel for tearing you and Sam away from your vacation, I still can't quite get past the mental images of everything else you're implying." He suppressed a shudder. "You know I'm really happy for you guys, but the details are still a little creepy if I think about them too hard."

Jack just smiled. "That's okay Daniel. I think about the details enough for the both of us."

Grimacing, the archaeologist cleared his throat and deliberately changed the subject. "Yeah. Uh… _Anyway_, I've been thinking about this stone circle, and I've got an idea."

At that, Teal'c inclined his head in a gesture of interest. "We are always interested in contemplating your ideas," he said earnestly. Then, glancing at Jack, the ghost of a smile touched his features. "Or, perhaps I should say that _I_ am always interested."

Jack shrugged. No point in arguing there. Still, this case, for some reason, was different. "Go ahead, Daniel. Lay it on us. I'm even listening this time."

Daniel settled back into his chair, sensing his friends' genuine interest. "Well, I did a lot of research on ancient Mesopotamia last year when we found the device on P3X-812. And I decided then that it must be the key to something really important."

Uncomfortably, Jack shifted in his seat. "You mean that metal thing which zapped me into oblivion, right?"

Impressed that his friend was actually paying attention, Daniel nodded. "Exactly. I think, if we want to get to the bottom of what's happened here," he said, gently caressing Sha're's pale face, "we need to get our hands on that thing again."

O'Neill snorted. "Yeah, 'cause they haven't been trying to do that for, oh, four months now…"

Teal'c seemed inclined to agree with Jack. "Indeed, Daniel Jackson. There have been many scientists at the excavation site on P3X-812 since O'Neill's accident. They have been entirely unsuccessful in extricating the device of which you speak."

At this, Daniel bit his lip and looked hesitantly off into the distance. "Yeah, I know. But I think we're going about it the wrong way." Once again turning to his friends, there was clear reluctance in his blue eyes as he spoke. "It wasn't random chance that put the key into that stone circle."

Jack shuddered. "Tell me something I _don't_ know, Danny. The autopilot in my brain managed to get that damn cylinder in just the right place to…" He trailed off, a look of comprehension dawning on his features. Exhaling sharply, his next words were a statement, not a question. "You want me to go back there."

Daniel said nothing as he met Jack's startled gaze head on. Still brushing his fingertips along his wife's cheek, he simply shrugged.

Teal'c absorbed the exchange wordlessly, taking in the uncharacteristic range of emotions flickering in both his friends' eyes. Then, taking a deep breath, the large warrior broke the silence in the room. "I agree with Daniel Jackson in that it is likely the only way to remove the device from the stones. But I fear that, even if O'Neill agreed to return to the planet, there is one obstacle you've both neglected to consider."

Jack blinked at his friend for a moment, still trying to get past the shock of what he was considering. Then, as Teal'c's words sank in, he suddenly felt as though someone had punched him in the gut. With a painful breath, he uttered a single word that made all three of them wince. "_Sam._"

Daniel met the agonized look in Jack's eyes with a similar, if more desperate one of his own. Unspoken communication passed between the two friends in a way it never had before. Jack, for the first time in his life, really understood just what it was that Daniel was asking for – the chance to be content, happy and _whole_. As a member of SG-1, he'd had the fate of the world rest on his shoulders on more than one occasion. Yet, in spite of that, he couldn't ever recall feeling quite so _needed_ before.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Jack nodded. "I'll talk to her."

Daniel and Teal'c exchanged a look of apprehension and, at least from Daniel's side, guilt. They'd both borne witness to the aftermath of Jack's last visit to the ring planet, and it hadn't been pretty. "Jack," Daniel said earnestly, "Thank you."

At that, Jack shook his head. "Don't thank me yet, Danny-boy. Carter isn't going to be easy to convince."

Daniel looked at his friend intently. "Probably not," he said. Then, with an amused smile, he added, "Especially if you keep calling her 'Carter.'"


	6. Mysteries of the Universe

A/N I've decided that real life intrudes upon my fanfiction habit far too much. If only I didn't have to worry about those pesky details like, oh, the mortgage and health insurance… sigh Anyway, I apologize for the delay. Hope I haven't lost any of you!

* * *

Chapter 6

"_No._" Sam's clear blue eyes blazed with more fury than a Naquadria-enhanced nuclear explosion. "Jack, I don't care if going to that planet will unlock all the mysteries of the universe. The only way you're setting foot on P3X-812 again is over my dead body."

For his part, Jack didn't look very surprised by the vehemence of her response. After leaving Daniel's room that afternoon, he'd tried to come up with a diplomatic way of posing the subject to his wife. However, since diplomacy wasn't really one of his strengths, he'd instead gone for the direct approach, explaining the situation with a few simple sentences once the babies had gone to sleep.

Apparently, the direct approach wasn't a good choice.

Trying not to smirk, Jack absorbed her last few statements with typical O'Neill humor. "You'd forgo all the mysteries of the universe just for me? Really?"

Sam didn't look amused. Ignoring him completely, she continued her tirade. "I don't even understand why you're considering it. There's no reason to think that Sha're won't wake up in a few days, as healthy as she ever was. After all, neither you nor Daniel had any lasting effects from your experiences with that damn thing." She shuddered and closed her eyes. "Which is more than I can say for myself. I will _never_ be the same as I was before you set foot on that planet."

Jack sighed. Tugging her up against his chest, he leaned down and softly kissed the top of her head. "I know, Sam. And I'd take it all back in a heartbeat if I could." Pulling away, he reached down and gently tilted her face up to his. Once she was looking into his dark brown eyes, he continued. "But there's just something about this whole situation that's bugging the hell out of me. I can't tell you why. I just have a weird feeling that when Sha're wakes up, she's gonna need more help than we can give her right now."

Sam blinked. Her husband's heartfelt words were incredibly surprising. Jack O'Neill was, by far, one of the least "touchy-feely" people she'd ever met – which was an impressive label, considering her vast experience with the rather unemotional Tok'ra and Asgard. If he was having a "feeling" about something, it was probably important. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's not gas?"

Jack chuckled. "Ah, Sam, you really do know me better than anyone else in the universe." Then, growing serious, he met her eyes again. "Not this time. Something strange is going on. I wish I could explain how I know that, but I can't."

Sam seemed to deflate in front of him. Wearily, she raised a hand to her forehead and gently rubbed the spot just above the bridge of her nose in a gesture of sheer exhaustion. "Damn," she muttered. When she looked back at her husband, her gaze was tormented. "I just don't know. I'm not sure I can live through that again."

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, gently brushing a kiss along her knuckles. "You won't have to. Now that I know how powerful that thing is, I'll be more careful than I was the last time I was there." Seeing her eyes darken at the mention of that encounter, he rushed on. "Sam, I wouldn't put you through this if it wasn't so damn important."

Suddenly, a light of understanding flickered in Sam's eyes. "You're doing this for Daniel," she said softly. The certainly in her voice made it clear that her words were not a question, but a statement of fact.

He nodded. "Daniel took care of you when I wasn't around. I might not be the brightest person on the planet, but I know he'd have stood by you and the twins for the long haul, even if I'd never come back." He shrugged, somewhat uncomfortable by the sentiment in his words. "_He_ needs me to do this. I'll go with whatever you decide, Sam. But I won't feel good about telling him 'no' if it comes down to that."

Sam felt her eyes fill with tears. Leave it to her husband to get to the simple truth of a situation. "I hate it when you're right," she said thickly, swiping the moisture from her cheeks. The steadfast support Daniel had given her after Jack's presumed death was merely one example of their friend's fierce loyalty and selflessness. Still, Sam wasn't without reservations. "Jack, can we at least wait until she wakes up before you go? I know you're convinced there are going to be problems, but we won't know that for sure until she regains consciousness."

Jack paused, absorbing her question. "What if she doesn't wake up?"

Sighing, Sam shrugged. "I'm sure we'll know more in a week or two. If her progress mirrors Daniel's, we should see some change in her brainwaves within a few days."

Jack nodded. "Okay. I think we can all live with that. In any event, it's gonna take some time to get everything ready for the mission." He looked intensely into her worried blue eyes. "Sam, I really will be careful."

Her response was to wrap her arms around his chest and hug him fiercely. "You'd better be," she whispered vehemently. "I'm not the only one who depends on you these days."

Thinking about the two tiny bundles sleeping in the nursery, Jack couldn't suppress an affectionate smile. "Speaking of which," he murmured warmly, "how long do you think we've got before Janelle wakes up?"

Sam smiled into his chest, clearly understanding where his train of thought was heading. "At least three hours… maybe four if we really get lucky."

Jack's smile turned devilish as he drew back and looked into his wife's eyes. "Well, I don't know about you," he said with a twinkle in his gaze, "but I think it's well past time that we really _got lucky_."

Laughing in spite of her fears, Sam allowed herself to be swept into her husband's embrace. "Amen to that," she murmured.

* * *

Resting his head on his arms, Daniel allowed himself the luxury of closing his eyes for a moment. Though still anxious over Sha're's condition, he was beginning to lose the overwhelming fear that she was going to disappear at any moment.

Daniel let his eyes drift shut as he silently reveled in her presence beside him. The steady, comforting beep of the cardiac monitor softly echoed in the small chamber, reassuring him that she was very much alive. The slightly scratchy hospital sheets against his cheek were warm with the heat from her body, frail and unmoving as it was. And, somewhere beneath the sterile antiseptic smell of the infirmary, the unique and familiar scent of his wife slipped warmly back into his heart. Despite his aching muscles and sheer exhaustion, Daniel didn't think he'd felt so content in years.

In his mind's eye, he saw her again as she'd been when they'd first met – terrified of what she'd been sent to do, yet bravely accepting her duty without backing down. He wondered for perhaps the zillionth time in his life how, exactly, he'd ever been lucky enough to stumble into such an amazingly fortunate set of circumstances and such a treasure of a woman. He knew, without a doubt, that were it not for Sha're's grit and intelligence, none of them would have made it back from Abydos alive. All the incredible discoveries of the last nine years would have been just another unrealized dimension in the quantum mirror without her. She'd led him to the vault containing the Abydos point-of-origin symbol, even though she'd known the written characters were completely illegal, thus setting into motion a chain of events that ended in this very moment.

Looking back on those perfect first moments together, Daniel smiled faintly. No doubt in his mind, he'd won the lottery with that trip. He'd gone from a laughingstock, out-of-work archaeological geek tormented by hay fever and self-doubt to a larger-than-life hero of his true love's civilization in a matter of days. Staying with her while Jack and the others returned to Earth had really been a no-brainer.

Their time together had been magical. She was bright, compassionate, and… well, _hot_. They'd been madly in love, content to spend their days together tending to the needs of her people and their nights in each other's arms. Those brief, happy moments were by far the pinnacle of his entire life.

Losing her had nearly killed him.

He'd dedicated his entire self to saving her from the clutches of the goa'uld tyrants who'd enslaved her during those early years with the SGC. He'd tried so hard… and, ultimately, he'd failed. Watching her slip away had smothered something deep and precious within him. In recovering from that loss, he'd really become a whole different person.

Life could never hold the same personal satisfaction as it had during his time with her on Abydos. So, lacking that motivation, he found himself dedicating himself to more selfless causes. Enlightenment, compassion, and universal balance became more than just a few fancy words used by philosophers. Without his beautiful Sha're, those powerful concepts became his True North, guiding him down a path that most mortals in this galaxy had little or no concept of.

Of course, ascension hadn't worked out so well. Strangely enough, while he'd been focused on the lofty, "big picture," a few small but vital details had become imprinted in his heart. Friendship, like a tenacious vine, had slithered into his motivations and taken strong root. When the moment came, he couldn't turn his back on his world… on his _friends_.

And so he'd returned.

Since those curiously mystical events had unfolded, he'd found himself easily lulled back into the regular rhythms of daily life. Sam's unexpected pregnancy had certainly thrown them all for a rollercoaster ride, as had Jack's untimely "death." But, like all things in the universe, balance had eventually returned. And with that balance had come a new era of contentment for his dearest companions. It was truly idyllic, and he was heartened by their obvious love for each other.

Still, somewhere in the back of his head, he'd been unable to squelch one tiny sliver of envy. There couldn't possibly be two people on Earth who deserved happiness more than Sam and Jack and he reveled in their joy. But, at the same time, he couldn't help being reminded of the perfect love he'd lost each time he saw his two friends sharing a private moment. He was unquestionably happy for them, but also unquestionably melancholy for himself. It was bittersweet.

All of this, of course, brought him back to the present moment. Sha're, here in this room, was something beyond anyone's comprehension. How she'd gotten here was a mystery, as was her long-term prognosis. But, somehow, Daniel couldn't quite believe that Fate would send her back into his life, only to have her waste away before ever reopening her beautiful, shining eyes.

As that thought occurred to him, Daniel found himself reflexively opening his own eyes in order to gaze upon her face. Her pale skin was starting to regain some color, he thought absently. Perhaps it was a good sign. Maybe she was on the road to–

Suddenly, Daniel felt his heart seize in his chest. Jerking his head off the mattress, he examined her delicate features intently.

Movement. He'd seen movement, he was sure of it.

Sure enough, after the briefest of moments, her impossibly long lashes fluttered away from the alabaster cheeks upon which they'd been resting. Dark eyes unfocused and sleepy, it was clear she was not quite aware of her surroundings yet.

"Sha're?" Daniel's voice was barely a whisper. Breathless with nerves and completely unsure of himself, he gently took one of her cool hands in his own.

As the world began to right itself, a series of quick, violent emotions passed over her face. Confusion, then fear, then wariness flashed through her dark eyes in rapid succession. Finally settling on Daniel's face, Sha're's gaze was guarded and cautious. When she finally found her voice, it was gravelly from disuse. Her words, however, spoken in the familiar Ancient Egyptian dialect that Daniel had spoken while on Abydos, contained the quiet, brave strength he'd always associated with her.

"Where am I? Where is my father?"

Pondering her questions, Daniel mutely settled back in his chair and wondered exactly how to answer her. However, before he had a chance to formulate a response, she asked another simple question that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"And who, exactly, are you?"


	7. Whispers from the Past

A/N: I now know that it takes only two words to make this shipper deliriously happy…

**"Not exactly."**

HA! How cool is that?

On a much more serious note, I also wanted to say a few words to anyone affected by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. My heart, like so many others, goes out to the entire Gulf Coast. Please pray for the victims and give generously to the survivors.

* * *

Chapter 7 

A sharp hiss of surprise whistled out of Daniel's suddenly-dry mouth. As the bitter taste of adrenalin swept through it, he swallowed reflexively.

Looking into his wife's eyes, he searched for some sign of recognition. After a few moments, however, it became clear she had no idea who he was. Pushing past a wave of overwhelming disappointment, he focused on alleviating the fear in her gaze. "What do you last remember?" he croaked, sounding somewhat faint.

"I was tending to the laundry," she said uncertainly. "Then, suddenly, there was a…" she paused, trying to find the right words, "…bright light. I felt a pain in my head." Wincing with the memory, she shivered slightly. "Then I opened my eyes to see you here." Sha're's eyes narrowed. "You have not answered me. Where is my father?"

Daniel let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. His wife-

No, this wasn't his wife, was it?

Rapidly trying to assimilate all of his observations, he briefly pondered what he knew. This Sha're was certainly from an alternate timeline – Thor had explained as much when he'd outlined her condition to him earlier. She was the correct age for this timeline, though she'd never been infected with a Goa'uld symbiote. And, it was now clear that she didn't know him at all. Pushing back the heartache he felt, Daniel decided to explore her memories further. "Sha're, I will try to answer your questions, but I need some help from you, first." His words were somewhat choppy, both from his emotional state and from speaking in a language he'd not used in years. He was a linguist, certainly, but returning to a normal conversational flow was not immediately easy. "I need to hear more about the place where you came from."

Her dark eyes were beginning to take on a panicked glint. "Is my father dead?" she asked hoarsely. "Why else would you not tell me where he is?"

Daniel ran a hand through his already-tousled hair. How the hell was he going to explain this? "I…" He searched for something that would not be a lie. "I really don't know what happened to your father. But I promise I will explain everything to you, as soon as it starts making sense, okay?"

Sha're looked into Daniel's honest blue eyes and seemed to find something trustworthy there. With a slight nod, she appeared to calm slightly. "What do you want me to tell you?"

Daniel's head was spinning. "Tell me about Abydos," he said softly. The planet which had once been home to him was lost in this reality, making the task before him all the more difficult. Memories of all that the Goa'uld had taken from him were slowly beginning to creep from the safe, quiet place where they'd been long ago laid to rest. It was bittersweet and unexpected.

Reclining on the bed before him, Sha're processed his request for information silently, watching the emotions flicker over his expressive features. If she was surprised by his knowledge of her home world's name, she didn't show it. "It is a quiet place. We work in the mines, avoid the sandstorms, and try to satisfy our gods." She closed her eyes for a moment before examining Daniel warily. "Are you one of them?"

Surprised by the question, Daniel quickly shook his head. He'd forgotten how cowed the people of Abydos had been by the Goa'uld. "No! No, of course not." He timidly took one of her hands and squeezed it gently. "The 'gods' that you speak of…" He looked at her carefully, studying her features for signs of antagonism. Seeing none, he sincerely hoped she was not changed too dramatically from the strong, resilient woman he'd once known. "Sha're, those beings weren't gods. They were powerful, mortal creatures who had mastered very powerful technology, but they weren't all-powerful." Seeing disbelief in her eyes, but not hostility, he continued. "Those beings were cruel. I know that they enslaved your people and made your lives terrible. But, I assure you, they can't hurt you now. You are safe here."

She looked completely overwhelmed and a bit puzzled. "But… If you already know about my people, then why did you ask me to tell you of them?"

Daniel thought a moment before answering. He finally decided that the truth might be the best option. And he might as well tell her now, before some higher-up in the military decided that she didn't have the correct clearances to hear the whole story, or that the truth would compromise her timeline. Both possibilities might indeed be true. And he could not deny the possible ramifications that the truth might have on her dimension, should she ever return to it. But none of that changed his mind about what he must do, consequences be damned. She might not be his actual late wife, but she was the closest thing he was likely to ever meet again. He could never keep anything so important from her. Taking a deep breath, he plunged agead.

"Sha're, my people have some pretty powerful technology, too." He gazed intently into her eyes as he spoke. "During a recent test of that technology, we had a… well, a mishap. A transportation device that can reach through time and space seems to have pulled you from your home on Abydos and dropped you here."

Sha're's dark eyes were wide with incredulity. "You have such a power?" When he nodded, she drew a deep breath. "Then your people must truly rival the gods."

Squeezing her hand again, Daniel shook his head. "No, Sha're, we're human, just like you. We've just had a lot more time and freedom to learn things than your people have." He shrugged. "Anyway, we didn't invent the technology that brought you here. In truth, we hardly know how to use it. That's part of the reason why you're here."

Suddenly, Sha're's gaze sharpened. "How do you know who I am? You know of me and my people, and yet I've never met you."

Daniel's eyes dropped for a moment as he hid the flash of pain her words inflicted. When he looked back at her, he could see curiosity painted on her features. "Let me explain something first. Think of an important event in your life, one that had a strong impact on your future. Now imagine that this event never happened. Can you see how different your life might be?"

She nodded, clearly fascinated by his words.

"This might be hard to believe, but my people have come to understand something important about those possible futures. They _all_ exist in an infinite number of alternate realities. Essentially, there are countless different lives that each of us might be living. And, with the right technology, we can actually _visit_ those lives and see how things might be under a different set of circumstances. Do you understand?"

Intelligence flashed deep in her gaze as she nodded. "I understand, but it is hard to believe what you are saying. Seeing the results of choices you might have made… that is something I have often wished for, but certainly not something I dreamed could actually be possible."

Daniel felt his heart swell. This may not be the actual woman he'd fallen in love with on Abydos, but her spirit was the same. "Well, it is possible," he said somewhat tenderly, unable to keep all the emotions from his voice. "And this is how I know of you and your people." He took a deep breath, trying to quell the tide of heartache washing over him. "In my reality, I came to your world almost nine years ago with some friends of mine. We discovered the plight of your people and helped you free yourselves from slavery. Essentially, we became allies. In your reality, this never happened."

Sha're looked amazed. "In your reality, we are free? That is wonderful!" Seeing the undeniable sadness on his face, she looked confused. "Why does this not make you rejoice?"

He replied softly. "Because there was a cost to that freedom." Looking into her eyes, he tried to soften the blow of his next words. "The false gods killed many of your people. They would have slaughtered everyone left on Abydos, but a friend of mine helped prevent that."

"They were saved?" Sha're looked deeply concerned.

Daniel sighed. "They…" Hell, how could he possibly explain this? "They achieved a different kind of life. With the help of a very wise woman, your people left their bodies behind and learned to exist as pure energy. They are now able to be at peace, existing in a way that most ordinary people never could dream of."

Sha're's mouth had formed a silent "O" of amazement during Daniel's explanation. Suddenly, tears clouded her eyes. "In your reality, did my brother…?" She trailed off, choked with emotion.

Daniel gently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb. "Skaara ascended to become an energy being along with all the people left on Abydos."

Her eyes widened at his words. "He… he lived?"

Opening his mouth, Daniel again tried to explain himself, fearing she'd misunderstood him. "Um, well… when he ascended, he stopped 'living' in the sense that you and I think of it-"

Sha're interrupted him with a wave of her hand. Tears streaming down her face, she shook her head impatiently. "I understand that. It's just…" She swallowed a sob. "In my world, Skaara was killed in the mines almost ten years ago. There was a collapse. He tried to help the others out." Blinking tears out of her dark eyes, she smiled softly. "He was little more than a boy, but he died a hero."

Daniel absorbed this information mutely. The obvious differences between this Sha're's timeline and his own reality were truly startling. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled quietly. The entire situation was becoming rather surreal.

At that moment, something even more remarkable happened. Sha're, almost unconsciously, gently squeezed Daniel's hand in return, as if to comfort him. Jerking his eyes to meet hers, Daniel was startled to see compassion in her tearful gaze.

Seeming to understand the depth of his emotions, Sha're continued to look at the man before her. "What of me? How did I fare in your reality?"

Daniel drew a deep breath. "Not well." He stopped, unsure of how much to tell her.

She looked at him reassuringly. "Please, go on. I am not afraid to hear what you would say."

Looking into her face, Daniel was somewhat amazed to see a bold and resilient spirit lurking there. She was undoubtedly in great physical pain, and the emotional toll of his explanations could not be insignificant. Yet, she was able to bear the situation with grace and determination. Once again, he remembered why he'd fallen so deeply in love with her.

Pushing those emotions to the back of his heart, he tried to focus on the grim story she'd asked to hear. There would be time later for him to gather his thoughts in the privacy of his own quarters. Now, he needed to focus on the woman before him. "Then I first need to explain some things about the false gods who enslaved your people." When she nodded, he continued. "The creatures that you knew as gods were actually nothing more than parasites inhabiting a human body. In order to survive, those parasites, called _Goa'uld_, needed to reside inside a person. Unfortunately, because of their evil nature, the parasite completely dominated the host, making them prisoners in their own body."

Sha're indicated her understanding with a disturbed gaze and a slight nod.

Daniel forged ahead with his explanation, hoping to put this discussion behind him quickly. "In my reality, I'm afraid you were taken as a host by one of the Goa'uld. My friends and I were able to find you, but we were not able to save you." He shut his eyes against the horrible memories that flooded his vision. "You were killed in order to keep the Goa'uld within you from… well… killing me." He swallowed, unable to meet her gaze.

Sha're's voice floated gently into his ears. "Then I am glad. I would not want to live as a prisoner in my own body, especially if I was forced to witness my own hands killing a friend."

Hearing no judgment in her words, Daniel looked up. Her eyes were kind and understanding. Overcome by a torrent of indefinable emotions, he could only squeeze her hand in response.

Sha're witnessed the obvious grief in his eyes and tilted her head slightly. Her next words were laced with the same gentle compassion she'd just exhibited moments earlier. "Did we know each other well?"

Stiffening slightly, Daniel nodded slowly. Unable to lie to her, he spoke simply. "We were married."

Somehow, she didn't look startled by this pronouncement. "Then this must be very difficult for you. I am very sorry, Daniel."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Sha're. It's a miracle I'm able to speak to you at all. In fact-" Suddenly, he stopped dead in the middle of his sentence. His heart began slamming in his ribcage faster than a jackrabbit with a fox on its heels. "Sha're," he breathed hoarsely, "How did you know that?"

She wrinkled her eyebrows, puzzled by his obvious shock. "Your emotions were very plain to see-" she began patiently.

Daniel cut her off. "Not that," he whispered. "How did you know _my name?"_

As the question hung on the air, Sha're's eyes widened in disbelief and astonishment. "Honestly," she said faintly, "I do not know." Looking into his bewildered gaze, she swallowed nervously. "But you needn't confirm it. My mind may not know who you are," she said slowly, "but my heart seems to find you entirely familiar." She gazed at him fondly for a moment before an odd shadow crossed her features.

Sensing that there was something amiss, Daniel leaned forward with concern. "Sha're? Is everything all right?"

At that moment, she answered his question without words by falling limply against her pillows, once again taken by unconsciousness.


	8. More than a Feeling

A/N: This has, quite possibly, been one of the lousiest weeks of my entire life. I'm working upwards of 14 hours per day, taking full-time graduate classes, being mommy to 2-year old twins who I never see, and am trying to keep track of my husband who works 7 days a week on 2nd shift, which means he leaves at 2pm Sunday, and I don't see him again until Saturday. The workload is unimaginable, the pay is lousy, and there's really no bright spot on the horizon.

Or so I thought.

Tonight, while looking for a file on my computer, I went through my email folders. Just for grins, I went into the folder where I store my fanfiction reviews. (That's right, I'm too sentimental to trash them.) I always move them into one folder, but until tonight, I'd never gone back in and looked at them. Do you know how many emails are in that folder?

Close to 1100.

You guys rock.

Hope you like the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8 

Sam heaved a mammoth sigh as she followed Jack down the familiar corridors of the SGC. "I hate it when you're right," she mumbled grimly.

Without breaking his stride, Jack felt an amused smile sneak onto his features. "Good thing it doesn't happen often, then," he remarked over his shoulder.

Sam's expression didn't lighten much. Anxiety was too heavy in her belly for his words to cheer her. "Jack," she said tightly, "I don't like this."

At that, he stopped moving mid-step, almost causing her to crash into him. Looking at her sharply, he felt a mixture of guilt and remorse flood his heart. "I guess you must be pretty upset," he said with forced lightness, "You just called me 'Jack' when we're on-duty."

Realizing that what he said was true, Sam felt herself color slightly. "Cut me some slack," she muttered. "I'm under a little bit of stress right now."

Looking into his wife's weary blue eyes, Jack pleaded silently for her understanding. "It's going to be okay, Sam." Reaching out instinctively, he brushed a finger over her cheek. "I wouldn't do this if I thought for even a moment that I'd be in any danger."

Sam's gaze hardened. "You didn't think you'd be in any danger last time," she said flatly.

He shrugged. Her words were true enough, but they didn't change the facts. "It's _Daniel_," he said simply.

At that, some of the wind seemed to leave her sails. Nodding silently, she took a deep breath and motioned for him to continue. With a long look of regret at her clear anxiety, Jack sighed and resumed his trek down the corridor.

A few minutes later, he and Sam approached the door to his office, still shrouded in a strained silence. Opening it, Jack was somewhat surprised to see both Daniel and Teal'c sitting in the chairs opposite his desk.

"Hey guys," he said, a hint of a question creeping into the greeting.

Teal'c spoke first. "Greetings, O'Neill. Samantha. How are the twins?"

Sam smiled in spite of her grim mood. Thoughts of her two, chubby, drooling miracles always gave her a few moments of joy, even in the worst of times. "They're great," she replied. "Dad and Sarah are sharing them."

Jack shook his head. If he lived to be a hundred, he'd never understand how his ex-wife had come to be his nanny. Of course, given the fact that the other half of the child-care duo was an _alien_, he supposed nothing should really shock him anymore. "So," he said, shifting the conversation to the topic at hand, "what do we know?"

Daniel, who had been quiet to this point, seemed to spring to life. "She woke up for about fifteen minutes," he explained rapidly, "during which time she shared some facts about where she came from. It's an alternate reality; of that I have no doubt."

Jack nodded, unsurprised. "You mentioned that something unusual happened just before she lost consciousness again." Over an unsecured phone line, Daniel had been unable to discuss any specifics.

Looking fatigued but determined, the archaeologist met his friend's gaze squarely. "At first, she didn't recognize me at all. In fact, she even asked if I was a Goa'uld." Sounding sad, he sighed. "In her reality, the people of Abydos are still slaves."

Sam winced. "I'm sorry, Daniel."

Jack shared her sentiment, but still looked curious. "Obviously, in her universe, we never made it through the stargate."

Daniel shook his head. Then, suddenly looking a little guilty, he glanced away. When he turned back to his concerned friends, he took a deep breath before speaking. "I probably shouldn't have done this," he admitted frankly, "but I told her where she was."

Teal'c's eyebrow shot up. Clearly, this was part of the story that he hadn't heard yet. "You told her she was no longer on Abydos?"

Daniel cringed. "I told her that she was in a whole new dimensional reality." Looking somewhat remorseful, he met Jack's eyes squarely. "I couldn't lie to her. So I told her the whole truth before someone could command me not to."

Sighing deeply, Jack looked somewhat pained by the revelation. "Can't say I'm surprised," he muttered. "Still, this does complicate things."

Sam's eyes had grown wide as saucers. "I'll say it does," she breathed. "Daniel, you may have just compromised any chance she had at returning to her own reality. We can't let her go back home with too much knowledge of this universe. It could alter the timeline in her own world irrevocably."

Daniel seemed to be expecting her assessment. "I know," he said wearily. "But I couldn't let her lay there, completely terrorized by her surroundings."

Sympathy lurking in his eyes, Jack seemed to understand his friend's decision. Unwilling to make him feel worse, he pushed away the temptation to pass any judgments. Instead, he focused on the situation at hand. "How'd she take it?" he asked curiously.

At that, Daniel smiled. "Amazingly well," he said; pride evident in his voice. "She just seemed to… understand." He looked somewhat baffled by that fact. "I'm not sure I'd have been as calm in the same situation."

Jack was inclined to agree. "Hard to think anyone could be," he said slowly. "Maybe it was just shock?"

Daniel shrugged. "Maybe. But I haven't told you the _really _interesting part yet." Seeing skepticism on his friend's face, Daniel forged ahead. "Not once in our conversation did I tell her who I was, and yet somehow, she knew my name," he said simply.

Sam's eyes widened. "How?"

"I have no idea," Daniel replied, clearly at a loss. "Maybe she heard it while she was comatose?"

Jack released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I don't think so."

Looking at Jack's serious expression, Daniel blinked. "Do you know something I don't?" he asked, sounding puzzled.

Jack mutely exchanged a look with Sam. Turning back to Daniel, he shook his head. "Just a feeling," he muttered.

This time, it was Daniel who shared a meaningful gaze with Sam. "He's been having a lot of those lately, hasn't he?"

Sam nodded. "You're telling me." Her voice conveyed a mixture of anxiety and affection.

Daniel heard the fear in her words and felt himself cringe inwardly. He had no desire to hurt his friends, but there was no denying the importance of this situation to his own well-being. "This probably has something to do with those damn stones, doesn't it?"

Sam sighed. Making the conscious decision to face her irrational fears head-on, she pushed any reluctance to speak of the device aside. "Actually," she said calmly, "I think it has more to do with the Ancient knowledge he used to have in his head."

Jack raised a hand and waved it. "Hello? I'm sitting right here."

Daniel glanced briefly in Jack's direction before continuing to speak with Sam. "What makes you say that?"

Patting her husband's hand absently, Sam replied without hesitation. "Something in his head directed him to the first set of stones on P3X-812." She shrugged. "I'm guessing it was a remnant of the Ancient library. How else could he have known what to do with that cylinder?"

Jack sighed in frustration. Looking at Teal'c, he shook his head. "I hate it when they get all scientific on us."

Teal'c's lips quirked upward slightly. "One would think you would be used to it by now, O'Neill."

Ignoring the other conversation in the room, Daniel seemed intrigued by Sam's logic. "You think the device is Ancient? The cylinder certainly fit the bill, but those paving stones aren't really their style."

Sam didn't seem to have an immediate answer for that. "I'm really not sure. But whether the device was Ancient in origin or not, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume they'd had knowledge of it."

Daniel inclined his head. "Which would account for Jack's unusual instincts about this whole situation."

"Either that," Jack chimed in, "or I'm developing my natural psychic abilities."

At that, both Daniel and Sam looked at him pointedly.

"Yes, Jack," Daniel remarked dryly, "because you've always been so _very_ aware of other people's feelings."

Jack blinked. "Yeah, I suppose not."

Smiling, Sam looked at her husband fondly. Then, as her awareness of where the conversation was heading set in, she found herself growing serious once again. "Well, with Sha're showing no sign of regaining consciousness, there's really only one thing we can do."

Her words hung in the air like thick, acrid smoke. The four long-time colleagues exchanged looks of understanding.

Jack agreed with his wife's assessment of the situation, but he hated seeing the resulting pain in her eyes. "Look," he said quietly, "I'll be in and out in no time. Teal'c will make sure I don't do anything stupid. Isn't that right, T?"

As the large warrior nodded reassuringly at Sam, Daniel suddenly interrupted. "I'm coming with."

The bold statement, coming from a man who had been nearly immobile no more than forty-eight hours ago, caught Jack completely off-guard. "Daniel, don't you think you really ought to-"

"Me too." Sam's words were delivered with an uncompromising stare.

Still off-balance from Daniel's declaration, Jack looked completely pole-axed by the determined gleam in his wife's eyes. "But, Sam, what about-"

She interrupted sharply. "I already told Dad and Sarah that I wasn't letting you go out in the field alone. Sarah, of course, has no idea what you're supposed to be doing, but she completely understands my intentions. They'll keep the twins until we come back."

He gaped at her. "You mean you _planned_ on coming with me?"

She nodded. "From the moment you told me you were considering the trip." She gazed levelly at him. "This is not negotiable, Jack. If you set foot on that planet again, I'm coming with you." Glancing at Daniel, she sighed grimly. "_We're_ coming with you. Daniel has as more at stake here than any of us."

Jack looked at the resolute faces before him and made a noise of exasperation. Turning to Teal'c, he sighed dramatically. "Am I, or am I not the General around here?"

The Jaffa merely raised an eyebrow. "You could order them to stay behind, O'Neill," he said quietly, "but I suspect that such an order would result in a new and uncomfortable relationship between you and your sofa."

Jack laughed. "Of that, I have no doubt." Turning back to the objects of his frustration, he found himself confronting two rather irritated sets of blue eyes. Raising his hands in a sign of surrender, he spoke hastily. "Fine! I give up! You can come. Just don't be too disappointed when the trip turns out to be boring as all hell."

Sam smiled sweetly. "Trips with _this_ group are many things, Jack, but 'boring' is rarely one of them."

* * *

Surveying the camp they'd just set up, Jack felt an odd feeling of peace creep over him. The Ancient ruins they'd come to survey were a good half-day's hike from the gate. Given Daniel's lack of stamina, they'd decided to walk a few hours and then camp for the evening. A fresh start in the morning would likely give the exhausted archeologist a better chance at making it to the site without collapsing. With their tasks laid out before them, the four had worked together seamlessly, performing the routine tasks in perfect, wordless synchronization. 

Sam walked up beside her husband, noting the bemused look on his face. "What's up?" she asked quietly.

Watching Teal'c help Daniel to a seat by the campfire, Jack couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face. "This," he replied simply. "I've really missed this."

After a moment, Sam felt a similar smile lift the corners of her own mouth. "Yeah, me too." She hadn't even realized it until this moment. "It's been a long while since the four of us were on a mission together."

Jack turned to look at her. "True. Though, I must say, our last off-world mission together was pretty memorable."

Sam looked somewhat puzzled as she pondered his statement. Then, as the meaning of his words sank in, she suddenly burst into peals of amusement.

Hearing Sam's giddy laughter, Daniel looked over at the couple curiously. "What's so funny?" he asked.

Sam grinned. "Jack just pointed out that our last off-world mission resulted in some… ah, interesting consequences."

Daniel thought back for a moment and then grinned. "_Two_ interesting consequences," he said cheerfully.

Teal'c, also smiling, added his remarks from his seat beside Daniel. "It is difficult to believe that so much time has passed since our last mission."

Jack sighed expansively. "You can say that again," he agreed. "It's been a hell of a year."

Sam gestured toward the fire. "Anyone interested in some coffee? I brought decaf for the evenings." The sun was just beginning to brush the tops of the trees, indicating a few solid hours of daylight still remained.

Settling down beside Daniel, Jack grimaced. "Sam, honey, maybe you should let Teal'c make the coffee."

Daniel chuckled, earning him a black glare from across the fire. He raised his hands defensively. "Sorry, Sam, but I've tried your coffee."

She sniffed delicately, dismissing the entire line of conversation. Still, she handed the packet of coffee to the large Jaffa as she changed the subject. "Daniel, your nose is a little red," she said matter-of-factly, pointing out the sunburn with a bit of smugness. "You should wear sunscreen tomorrow."

Making a face, Daniel sighed. "Somehow, in the rush to pack, I managed to leave mine behind."

Sam's smile turned affectionate as she considered his absentmindedness. "You're good at doing that, aren't you?" Daniel, gifted beyond measure in many ways, was hopelessly disorganized when it came to mundane details.

Handing Teal'c the small metallic carafe used for making coffee, Jack smiled. "That's okay, Danny. Sam never goes offworld without hers. Alabaster skin and all that." He winked at his wife as a devilish gleam twinkled in his eyes. "And she keeps it, shall we say, _close to her heart._" When Daniel seemed to miss the joke, Jack made it obvious by pretending to pluck something from beneath his shirt. Suddenly, the archaeologist seemed to understand.

"Jeez, Jack!" he cried with a wince. "Must you keep reminding me of the fact that you two are… you know…?"

Jack couldn't help laughing. Glancing at his wife to gauge her reaction, he was surprised to see an odd look on her face. Growing immediately serious, his voice conveyed his concern. "Sam? What is it?"

As Daniel and Teal'c became aware of the look in her eyes, they, too, grew silent.

"How did you know that?" Sam asked her husband quietly.

Jack's eyebrows drew together. "Know what?"

"The fact that I keep sunscreen in my bra when I'm offworld. How did you know that?" She tilted her head to the side. "I _certainly_ never volunteered that information before we were married… And we haven't been on a mission together _since_ we were married."

Jack opened his mouth to explain himself, when he suddenly developed a puzzled expression. "Honestly," he said slowly, "I have no idea."

Daniel looked at the couple, feeling the hairs on his neck stand up. "Okay, _this_ is odd."

Jack turned to his friend, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "You're telling me," he muttered. "Because either the Ancients had intimate knowledge of my wife's underwear, or I really _am_ developing latent psychic abilities. And frankly, I'm not sure which of those options disturbs me more."


	9. Connections

A/N: Well, it's mid-week and, at least for now, I'm not crying. That's a step in the right direction, anyway. Have I mentioned that my life pretty much sucks these days? I _so_ want to exchange this life for the upgraded model... or, if nothing else, I'd really like to get my money back on this crappy one. It bites.

On the bright side, I'm glad to see so many of my readers making connections between the other stories in this trilogy. I'm having a lot of fun bringing this full circle.

And, as always, I'm very sorry for the delay in posting this. Life, at the moment, is obscenely hectic on my end. I'd love to write more and work less… if only I could afford to do so! My nutty schedule has made this update short by necessity. I'm hoping the next one will be both longer and less overdue.

By the way, many thanks to everyone who voted in this year's Stargate Fan Awards. My first fiction, _Reap What Is Sown_, won an honorable mention! Woo-hoo! How cool is that? Thanks for the recognition!

* * *

Chapter 9 

Lying close to her husband in the tiny, two-person tent, Sam couldn't quite find a comfortable position. It wasn't the hard ground beneath her bedroll that was making her shift restlessly, but something less easily defined.

"Sam." Jack's tired voice held a clear note of amusement.

Growing suddenly still, she answered him apologetically. "I'm trying to settle in. Really, I am. I guess I'm just not used to-"

"There's nothing wrong with me, so quit worrying about it." In typical Jack fashion, he'd managed to bypass all extraneous excuses and cut directly to the heart of the matter.

Sighing quietly, Sam wished she could be as confident. "But you don't _really_ know that, Jack. We truly have no idea what the long-term impact of having an Ancient database stored in your brain might be. For all we know, you could be starting to suffer from-"

"I'm not," he interrupted quickly. "The only thing I'm starting to suffer from is sleep-deprivation."

She was not placated in the slightest. "But you really don't _know_-"

"Yes, I do." Jack spoke in a tone of certainty that left no room for argument. "Don't ask me _how_ I know, but I do. I'm not sick, dying, or otherwise brain damaged." He paused. "Or at least not any more brain damaged than I ever was. I never did feel quite the same after that whole Black Ops skull fracture incident …" Trailing off, he seemed to shrug mentally. "Anyway, I'm really going to be fine."

Sam propped herself up on one elbow and looked at her husband with equal parts exasperation and amazement. "How can you be so calm about this? You're turning into a one-man Psychic Friends Network and it doesn't seem to bother you in the least!"

Jack couldn't suppress a smile at his wife's description. "Guess I'm just well-adjusted," he replied, earning himself a look of dry disbelief. "Yeah, maybe not." Then, without warning, Jack reached over and, with remarkable agility, yanked her unceremoniously on top of him. "All I'm saying is that there's no need to borrow trouble, Sam. We have plenty of _real_ things to worry about without making up possible new ones."

Sam felt her lips creep up in amusement. "You're just trying to distract me," she murmured, indicating their relative positions.

He grinned wickedly. "Is it working?"

She chuckled, trying to resist his carefree charm, but failing. "Maybe."

Looking into her sparkling blue eyes, Jack felt warm emotions creep into his heart. "Remember the last time you had me pinned down in a two-man tent?"

Sam couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips. "On the volcanic planet," she remembered softly. "I tackled you coming in from that rainstorm." Laughing brightly, she met her husband's warm brown eyes. "I'm not sure if I was more embarrassed or turned on."

Jack's impish expression didn't change in the least. "I was _definitely_ more turned on," he said forcefully. His smile then became somewhat bemused. "I have no idea where we found the willpower to _not_ rip each other's clothes off on that trip."

Sam chuckled again. "No kidding. All those weeks holed up together with Daniel's stupid box of condoms!"

Jack groaned as he remembered his friend's gag gift. "That stupid box of condoms almost landed me in a shallow grave on thatgodforsaken planet thanks to your dad." Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. "And that time I didn't even _deserve_ the punch!"

Sam winced as she pondered her father's overprotective tendencies – tendencies that usually involved physical violence toward Jack. Still, it was hard to ignore the humor in the situation. "Look on the bright side," she said sweetly, "he could have used a zat."

Jack shuddered at the possibility. Then, returning his attention back to the warm, familiar body laying on top of him, he smiled lazily. "I think we deserve medals for not giving in to temptation on that trip."

Sam returned his wicked smile with one of her own. "Well, we could petition the Air Force for a review of the mission… but I have a better idea." Focusing all her attention on his mouth, she left little doubt as to what her "better idea" was.

Jack, agreeing wholeheartedly, reached behind her head and gently pulled his lovely wife in for a kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Daniel moved around the camp slowly, trying to work the painful stiffness out of his muscles. Though the physical symptoms of his experience with the Ring were starting to fade, his exertion the day before had clearly not made his aching body very happy. 

Sheer exhaustion had made his sleep deep and dreamless, which was a much-needed blessing for Daniel. Since discovering that his wife had been transported across dimensional boundaries, sleep had not come easily. The little rest he'd managed to get in the last few weeks was mostly acquired while hunched over Sha're's hospital bed. Any time he'd tried sleeping in his own quarters, horror-filled dreams of her abduction and death had interrupted his slumber. He knew that the situation was having an impact on his emotional well-being, but he was too concerned with more immediate concerns to seek help for it yet.

Thoughts of his wife continued to plague him through the four-hour walk to the Ancient site. His mood was both pensive and quiet. In fact, the entire party was fairly subdued this morning. Very little conversation had punctuated their morning routine, as each of them seemed lost in their own concerns. He could literally sense the anxiety rolling off of Sam as they walked. He tried to push the guilt he was feeling over her discomfort from his mind. He hated the need to be here, on this planet full of such awful memories for his best friends, but he knew of no other way to help his wife. And he simply couldn't walk away from her.

The few waking moments he'd spent with Sha're were somewhat dream-like in his memories. He had no idea how she'd managed to materialize in his life once again, nor how she seemed to know his name, but he did know that –

Wait.

Daniel literally stopped dead in his tracks as a thought struck him.

Sam, who had been walking behind him absorbed in thoughts of her own, nearly ran into him when he stopped. "Daniel?" she asked with a note of concern in her voice. "What's wrong?"

He blinked, shaking off his reverie. "I just had an idea," he said quietly.

Jack and Teal'c, realizing that the two scientists had stopped moving, came over to see what was going on. "An idea?" Jack repeated. "Okay, Danny Boy, let's hear it."

Daniel turned his attention to Sam as he spoke. "It just occurred to me that Sha're seems to know things that she shouldn't know."

Sam nodded, though she clearly didn't seem to understand the direction of his thoughts yet. "You said she knew your name."

"Yes," Daniel agreed, excitement creeping into his voice. "At first, I thought maybe she'd picked it up while comatose, but now I have a hunch that it's actually something else."

Jack exchanged looks with Teal'c. They'd all seen Daniel rally behind ideas before. Usually, this sort of excitement preceded something important. "Go on," he prompted.

Looking at Jack, Daniel seemed to come alive as he spoke. "Sha're isn't the only one around here who seems to know the impossible."

Sam suddenly jerked to attention. "You think Jack's flashes of intuition and Sha're's unexplained knowledge are linked?"

Daniel nodded, though he was still staring directly at Jack. "There's one thing they both have in common," he said simply.

Sam's eyes widened. "The Ring," she breathed softly.

Jack blinked. "Wait a minute. You think that the Ring has something to do with this?"

Daniel shrugged. "It's just a guess, but it sure makes sense."

Looking intrigued, Teal'c inclined his head. "If that is so, Daniel Jackson, then why have you not developed these intuitive abilities?"

At that, Daniel looked a bit stumped. "Maybe it has something to do with the distance that the Ring moves a person. After all, I didn't travel through space at all, and only a few microseconds through time. Jack moved millions of light years when he was transported, and who knows how far through the continuum Sha're was moved."

Sam considered the theory. "It _is_ possible. We have no idea how the device works, but we do think it was used by the Ancients. It's a fair guess that as the Ancients drew closer to the ability to ascend, they probably developed higher cerebral functions. It's possible that they incorporated those abilities into the Ring when they built it."

Jack held up a hand. "Wait. So you're telling me that the Ring really _did_ give me latent psychic abilities?"

Daniel seemed a little alarmed at the prospect. "Well… Yeah, I guess that's what I'm saying."

At that pronouncement, all four of them grew silent.

_Psychic_ Jack?

The only team member who didn't look particularly disturbed by that possibility was Jack. "Sweet!" he said cheerfully.

Sam, on the other hand, merely rubbed her forehead. "For once, Daniel," she said dryly, "I sincerely hope you're wrong."


	10. Discovery

A/N: Okay, I actually started writing this chapter mere days after posting the last one. But, as per usual, life has this stupid way of throwing obstacles in the path of creative genius, so here it is, a month later than expected. Alas, I'm afraid it's the best I can do.

On a happy note, I've FINALLY met one of the major requirements for my master's degree/graduate licensure, so my workload is starting to lighten a bit. If this keeps up, I might actually have three consecutive hours of free time available by… oh, maybe February. Of 2008.

To answer a few questions about the whole "memory regaining" issue: Yes, they are scheduled to get their memories back on their first anniversary. However, according to the plan, when they do remember, they will believe it was Thor who manipulated their consciousnesses, not Bett. They agreed that they would not have any memory of their time with Bett's people or Sam's demise at the fangs of the Big Bad Wolf.

And, sorry to disappoint you all too badly, but the pair have only been married a month or so. (Remember, they were on their honeymoon when Daniel had is little Ring accident.) That means we have a LONG way to go before the year is up. But never fear, I've got lots of other distractions planned to keep you all interested.

Anyhow, I'm really starting to hit the meat-and-potatoes section of this story, which is pretty fun from my perspective. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 10

Sam rubbed the back of her neck reflexively, vainly trying to ease the tension which had settled there. "I have a bad feeling about this," she muttered darkly.

In complete contrast to his wife's overcast expression, Jack smiled almost gleefully. "Well, I don't. And I'm psychic."

The team had arrived at the Ancient ruins by mid-afternoon. After checking in with the skeleton crew of SGC personnel stationed at the outpost, they finally gathered in front of the object which brought them halfway across the galaxy. The stone Ring was set into a crumbling central plaza and was a perfect twin to the one Daniel had investigated in the Iraqi salt marshes. A fifty-foot-wide circle of scorched grass was still clearly visible around the Ring, though new shoots were starting to emerge from the charred ground.

Daniel suppressed a smile at his friend's glib remark and walked over to Sam. Placing a reassuring arm around her shoulders, he squeezed gently. "Sam, the technicians have been studying this site for months. That Ring hasn't coughed up so much as a spark since Jack's accident. We have no reason to think that anything dangerous is going to happen."

Sam shuddered in spite of herself. "That's a very rational thing to say," she mumbled. Looking Daniel in the eyes, she conveyed without words how decidedly _irrational_ she was feeling.

Understanding her violent emotions, Daniel once again felt a pang of guilt for making Sam revisit this painful chapter in her life. He, after all, had been the closest witness to her agony after Jack's "death." He'd even been the one to break the news to her. If he lived another twenty lifetimes, he'd never be able to forget the sickening horror of those moments. She'd been so beautiful, rounded with pregnancy and glowing with love as she'd prepared for the wedding she'd waited a lifetime for. Ruining that perfect moment in the most cruel and hellish way possible had been the most difficult thing Daniel had ever had to do. He understood the depths of Sam's terror standing before the Ring today because he'd witnessed the depths of her blinding despair following Jack's accident here five months earlier.

Part of him longed to end this ordeal and command his friends to walk away from this place. But every time the words rose to his tongue, he was confronted with a picture of his lovely Sha're, pale from her injuries but still sparkling with life. She'd bravely faced her fears in her hospital room, accepting an impossible explanation from a total stranger. It was this same quiet, determined strength which had captured Daniel's heart the first time he'd met her. The effect was no less soul-shattering the second time around. Much as he admitted that his need to help her was selfish, he simply couldn't walk away from the one thing which could possibly help save her.

Sam saw the struggle taking place in her friend's eyes and shook herself mentally. She knew how guilty Daniel was feeling at this moment, and it shamed her to think she was the cause of it. Squaring her shoulders resolutely, she forced her terror back into a dark corner of her mind and started thinking like a scientist. Glancing briefly at her husband, she couldn't help rolling her eyes at his cocky expression. "Not to rain on your parade, but how _exactly_ do you plan on getting that cylinder out of the ground?"

For a moment, Jack looked stumped. Then, eyes glinting with humor, he shrugged. "It'll come to me." Pointing to his head, he smiled. "Psychic powers, remember?"

Sam shook her head and looked at Daniel. "You just _had_ to tell him he was psychic, didn't you?"

Daniel shrugged. "Sorry Sam. It just slipped out."

She grimaced. "Yeah, I know. But now he thinks he knows _everything_."

Jack speared her with a knowing look. "Kinda like someone else I know."

Teal'c, who had until this moment been standing silently beside the group, tilted his head slightly. "The difference, O'Neill, is that your wife does, indeed, know everything."

All three of the warrior's companions turned to stare at him in amused disbelief.

"I think he just made a joke," Jack said dryly. "T, that makes three this year. What's the world coming to?"

Staring grimly at his friend, Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow. "In light of your new and growing powers, I'm sure you'll be able to warn the rest of the group well in advance of my next attempt at humor."

Daniel snorted an irrepressible chuckle at Jaffa's unexpected retort. "That was really funny!" he remarked, ignoring Jack's dark glare.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Ah, guys? Think we might get back to the task at hand?"

Jack turned to his wife and grew serious. "Don't worry, Sam. I'll be careful,"

Swallowing nervously, she nodded. Then, with one last look at the scorched earth around the Ring, she returned her gaze to Jack's and silently gave him permission to proceed.

Immediately, all humor in the group evaporated like rain in a desert. With swift, resolute steps, Jack marched to the edge of the Ring and examined the device carefully.

The paving stones were embedded in the ground at careful, even intervals, though the stones themselves were not perfectly shaped. They had an almost-primitive quality to them which set them at odds with the austere elegance of the other Ancient ruins. All the stones were shaped as arced wedges, neatly forming a series of concentric circles. At the very center of this pattern was one perfectly round cover-stone, under which lay the objective of their quest.

Jack took a deep breath and gently set one foot down onto the outermost ring of paving stones. Feeling no odd flashes of intuition nor any hint of electrical energy, Jack carefully continued stepping into the Ring. He could feel Sam's eyes boring holes into his back, but forced himself to continue forward.

A few steps later, he stood above the round center stone. It was unremarkable in every way except for its shape and location. Gritting his teeth against the wave of anxiety he felt rolling off his wife, Jack silently knelt down and examined the stone carefully.

The scientists who'd studied the device in the months since Jack's unfortunate accident had never gotten past this obstacle. The stone was apparently locked into place with some sort of invisible mechanism. Every attempt at moving it had thus far been unsuccessful. Fearful of damaging – or activating – the device, the SGC had found itself at an impasse with the Ring.

Jack now knelt in front of the very same stone, but felt none of the helpless frustration that had plagued his organization's scientists for months. Instead, a tiny tickle in the back of his head prompted him to gently place the index finger of one hand in an almost invisible depression on the stone's outer edge. Smoothly, the heavy rock rose up from the ground, protruding about an inch above the rest of the Ring's surface. When Jack next put his hands on the stone, he could tell that it was free from whatever had locked it in place. Gently, he lifted the cover-stone and set it off to one side.

Revealed by the stone's absence was something that set all four teammates' hearts racing. The top of the metallic cylinder that they desperately sought was now glinting brightly in the mid-afternoon sun. Unable to stop himself, Jack looked up and caught Sam's terrified expression. Trying to reassure her, he held her gaze for a long moment. After some of the blind panic had left her blue eyes, he returned his attention to the coveted cylinder.

Jack knew instinctively that he would not be able to pry the cylinder from its present location, any more than the scientists had been able to pry away the cover stone. There had to be a release mechanism.

Without warning, Jack suddenly felt what could only be described as a memory slam into his mind's eye.

Blue hands… _Blue? _ Jack blinked, but his mind was insistent. Yes, _blue_ hands. Delicate and precise, they danced over rough stones shaped exactly like those set before him. Without hesitating, the hands confidently depressed a small, nearly invisible latch hidden in an adjacent, wedge-shaped paving stone. Then, as the hands deftly moved back to the center of the Ring, a large, silver cylinder gradually rose up from its center with a soft, electrical buzz.

Eyes widening, Jack's breath caught in his throat at the detailed nature of his vision. The memory encompassed less than a few seconds of time, but its vivid clarity was both startling and intense.

Still, he couldn't question the relevance of the memory. Following the example set by the mysterious blue hands, Jack looked to the stones set directly next to the center circle. Within moments, he discovered the almost impossibly well-camouflaged mechanism. Looking like a natural crack in the stone, the latch was little more than a shard of rock hinged at one end. An untrained eye could have passed over the device a thousand times and never unlocked its secret.

Carefully, Jack slid his finger beneath the shard and lifted it a fraction of an inch. A distinct _click_ resounded through the tense, silent atmosphere, followed by a soft, clearly electrical buzzing.

Sam watched with a combination of horror and fascination as her husband unerringly removed the cover stone and then located the release mechanism for the cylinder. The resulting click made her jump slightly, but she was able to maintain her composure… until she heard the buzzing.

Unable to cry out past the raw panic clawing its way up her throat, Sam lurched reflexively toward the Ring. Teal'c, half-expecting this sort of a reaction from his teammate, firmly latched his hands onto her upper arms and held tightly with a steel-strong grip.

In that moment, Sam lost herself. Kicking out with an animal-like frenzy, she desperately tried to escape the unyielding human restraints. All her accumulated tension and fear exploded in a primitive rage unlike anything she'd ever experienced. Tears streamed down her face as she shook, clawed, and kicked anything in her immediate area.

Slowly, through the red haze of rage, an insistent message started seeping into her consciousness.

"Sam! _Sam!"_ It was the voice, not the words, which finally registered in her mind. Stilling instantly, she seemed to emerge from a dream, blinking away the remnants of furious tears.

"Jack?" Though she didn't remember making a sound, her voice was hoarse from the wrenching screams of anguish that had been ripped from her throat.

Looking relieved, Jack carefully pulled his wife from Teal'c's iron grip and into his comforting embrace. "_Shhhhh_," he whispered softly into her ear. "It's okay, Sam. _I'm_ okay."

Sam was suddenly overwhelmed with gut-wrenching sobs. Shaking violently, she buried her face into Jack's shoulder and sagged in spent relief.

Teal'c and Daniel looked at the pair with obvious concern. Daniel, for his part, appeared somewhat queasy after witnessing Sam's terrifying display of raw emotion.

After a few moments of mindless weeping, Sam finally managed to pull herself together. Lifting her face from Jack's chest, she issued a shuddering sigh. "Is it over?" she rasped wearily.

Jack ran a hand down her face, smoothing away the anxiety still obviously present there. "It's over," he murmured.

Sam sniffled. "We have the cylinder?"

Jack nodded to the ground beside her feet. There, amidst the blackened earth and fresh, green shoots of grass, lay the familiar crystal-topped cylinder that they'd been searching for. As Sam's blue eyes caught sight of the object, her knees buckled with relief.

Catching her up against him, Jack continued to whisper meaningless phrases of comfort in her ear. Still, there was no denying that they all shared Sam's sentiments.

This was one afternoon that they'd be glad to have behind them.

* * *

Three days later, Daniel wearily stumbled out of the Stargate, barely keeping himself from falling to the steel grid of the embarkation platform. He was exhausted, both mentally and physically. His body was beginning to recover from his own tangle with the Ring, but his mind was awhirl with the implications of their mission.

They had the cylinder. What came next, however, was a mystery. Jack seemed to have no trouble pulling the object from the Ring, but was totally at a loss when it came to their next step. He'd been strangely close-mouthed about how, precisely, he'd managed to extricate the cylinder. Nor had he said much about his newly-found "psychic" abilities since recovering the device. The whole party had been somber and subdued on the trip back to the gate.

As he walked out of the gate room, Daniel could only think of one thing. In spite of his sheer exhaustion, he was desperate for news of Sha're. It had been nearly a week since he'd last seen her. Apparently, Dr. Brightman had anticipated his craving for information, since she met him as he turned the corner to the infirmary.

"Dr. Jackson," she said, smiling cheerfully. "I have a surprise for you."

Seeing the happy, relaxed look on Dr. Brightman's face, Daniel felt his heart soar. Surely, there had to be good news about his wife for the doctor to look so lively. "Yes?"

She just gestured toward the infirmary. "Follow me," she directed.

As Dr. Brightman opened the door to Sha're's room, Daniel held his breath in anticipation. When he stepped into the room, he found he was not disappointed. There, not in a bed, but a wheelchair, sat Sha're, looking pale but rested.

Upon seeing her new guest, Sha're's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Daniel!" she said gleefully. "I am so happy to see you back safely!"

Daniel was about to reply to her thoughtful words when two things struck him simultaneously. One was that Dr. Brightman, who'd been standing in the doorway smiling, suddenly appeared wide-eyed and taken aback. The shock on her face was clear and unmistakable. The second thing to occur to Daniel probably put an identical expression onto his own face.

Sha're, whose past life in an alternate reality did not include contact with Earth or the SGC, had greeted him from his trip in perfect, if heavily-accented _English_.


	11. Unanswered Questions

A/N: All right, don't get too spoiled. I'm sure I won't be putting out two chapters in this quick a succession again anytime soon! Apparently, however, all that turkey on Thursday fueled my muse, because this one just rolled off my fingers.

By the way, I've decided that in this story, Kinsey is currently working "underground" with the NID. Even though he's out of politics (after getting canned as VP), he still has close ties to the Intelligence Oversight Committee – pretty much the way things were at the end of season 7. I realize my timing does not jive with the show's cannon. I set _Reap_ sometime around mid-season 8. Tack on a year for the events of _Reap_ and the start of _Path_, and you're at least mid-season 9… which puts Kinsey in deep do-do with the Trust and possibly even dead. But hey, I figure that the events of _Reap_ pretty much throw all cannon post season-8 out the window. (e.g., Jacob is still alive in my version of events.) Besides, in this story, _I'm_ in charge, not the show's writers! (Ah, the beauty of fanfic!) So to heck with the timeline. Okay?

Okay.

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

Daniel looked into the lovely, familiar face of his wife and fought to keep from gaping like a fish out of water. "Sha're," he exclaimed quietly, "How…?" He paused, clearing his throat, trying to formulate a question that wouldn't sound ridiculous.

As Sha're noticed the shocked, disbelieving expressions on the faces before her, a cloud passed over her features. "Daniel?" she asked quietly, "Did I do something wrong?"

Her words, again, were in English.

In spite of his dazed curiosity, Daniel saw fear creeping onto her features and rushed to her side without hesitation. Dropping to his knees, he took hold of her small hands. "No, of course not," he said gently. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he tried to sound calm and unruffled as he spoke. "We're just surprised," he said softly. "Sha're, you're using _my_ language."

Eyes widening, Sha're seemed to suddenly realize the truth of his words. "How?" she whispered on an uncertain breath.

Daniel shook his head. "I have no idea," he said honestly. "But I think it might have something to do with the device that brought you here."

She regarded him solemnly. "Is it dangerous?" she asked quietly.

Again, Daniel was at a loss. "I wish I knew," he said gravely. "But my friends and I just found something that might give us some answers. That's why I haven't been here in a few days. We were looking for help."

Sha're nodded slightly. "I trust you, Daniel." Gently extricating one of her hands from his reassuring grasp, she reached up and brushed her delicate fingers along his cheekbone.

Humbled by the pure, unshakable faith which shone in her dark eyes, Daniel felt his heart lurch in his chest. The past few weeks had been like something out of a dream. The entire sequence of events was so surreal and unexplainable that he really wouldn't be surprised if a blaring alarm clock jerked him awake at any moment. Still, the aching weariness in his bones was real enough, as was the smooth texture of Sha're's fingers on his face.

The soft creaking of a door on its hinges pulled Daniel's gaze to the room's entrance. Standing there, looking somewhat apologetic for interrupting, was Sam. "Hi," she said quietly, giving a little wave. Smiling at the doctor who still stood beside the door, Sam stepped into the room. "Dr. Brightman left a message at my lab to drop by when I got a chance," she explained. Then, seeing the frail woman in the wheelchair, Sam's smile widened. "Wow, she's looking much better."

Sha're returned Sam's smile with one of her own. "I feel much better," she said happily.

Sam's jaw dropped as her eyes flew to Daniel's. "I thought you said she was from a timeline that had never encountered the SGC?"

Daniel nodded, still holding Sha're's other hand gently. "She is," he replied.

"But-" Sam's face clearly reflected her confusion.

Daniel cut her off before she could finish her statement. "I know," he said simply. "And I have no idea how it's possible."

Taking a moment to collect herself, Sam looked at the dark-haired woman in the wheelchair with unabashed curiosity. Then, suddenly realizing what she was doing, Sam mentally shook herself and snapped to attention. "I'm sorry," she said, addressing Sha're, "it's terribly rude of me to speak as if you're not here." Walking forward, she offered her hand to the lovely woman. "I'm Samantha O'Neill, a friend of Daniel's."

Sha're reached up with her free hand and softly took Sam's in a wobbly handshake. The gesture looked a bit uncertain, as if she wasn't quite sure what was expected of her. "I am happy to meet you, Samantha O'Neill."

"Please, call me Sam." Glancing briefly at Daniel, Sam was warmed by the obvious contentment reflected in his blue eyes. "How are you feeling?" she asked, returning her attention to the frail woman in the wheelchair.

Sha're smiled. "I am well, actually. My muscles are sore, but I am in good spirits." She, too, looked at Daniel as she spoke. "I was worried when Daniel did not visit me for several days, but he tells me that he was busy finding something that might help me."

Sam nodded. "I was with him, actually."

Suddenly looking alarmed, Sha're glanced back and forth between the two SG-1 teammates as a new possibility struck her. "You were together?" She paused, seeming to gather her courage before continuing. "Are you married, then?"

Daniel choked slightly at the innocent question. "No, nothing like that," he rushed to answer. Seeing Sam's cheeks grow pink, he couldn't help smiling. This wouldn't be the first time someone had mistaken his working relationship with Sam for something more intimate. Looking into Sha're's eyes, he shook his head as he explained. "Sam is a colleague and a friend of mine. She's also married to another member of our team."

Sha're's expression grew pensive as she gazed absently into space. Thoughts flickered over her features as she seemed to seek the answer to a question just out of reach. Then, suddenly, a light flared in her dark eyes. "Jack," she said certainly. "Jack O'Neill is her husband."

Sam and Daniel exchanged mystified looks. "That's right," Sam said faintly. "How did you know that?"

Sha're blinked hesitantly. "Honestly, I cannot explain it. When you told me your name, I felt something familiar tugging at my memory. But it was only when Daniel mentioned your marriage to a teammate that I realized I knew something more." She looked at Daniel with a good deal of fear in her eyes. "These strange thoughts of mine… they cannot be routine, even in a society with as much technology as yours."

Daniel was forced to agree, though it pained him to see the apprehension on her features. "No, this is definitely not routine." Squeezing her cool hand gently, he looked into her eyes as reassuringly as possible. "But we'll figure it out, I promise."

Sha're seemed comforted by his words. "Thank you Daniel." Then, looking suddenly tired, she blinked wearily. "I think I would like to lie down now," she said faintly.

Daniel had forgotten about Dr. Brightman's presence in the room, but as soon as his wife mentioned her fatigue, the doctor instantly stepped in from the doorway. "I'm afraid you're going to have to leave," she said to Sam. Then, looking at Daniel, she continued to speak firmly. "You really should get some rest as well," she suggested. "You won't do her any good if you collapse from exhaustion."

Daniel looked as if he might object when a delicate squeeze on his fingers brought his attention back to Sha're. "Daniel," she whispered, "I am just tired. I'll sleep better knowing that you, too, are getting rest."

Reluctantly, Daniel accepted the words of both women and nodded. Rising to his feet, he couldn't resist the urge to place a quick, soft kiss on Sha're's forehead. Almost surprised by his own actions, Daniel blinked uncertainly as he backed away from her. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said quietly.

Sha're looked into his eyes with a soft smile. "Dream sweetly," she whispered, reverting to the Ancient Egyptian dialect that her people on Abydos used.

Feeling fingers of tender emotion wrapping themselves around his heart, Daniel could only nod a mute reply. Then, with reluctant steps, he forced himself to leave her room.

* * *

Before he could return to his quarters for some much-needed sleep, Daniel decided to drop in on the meeting that was undoubtedly being held in the briefing room. He'd been part of the SGC long enough to understand that no one was going to be sitting idly by waiting for clues to fall from the sky. Jack would have as many people as possible working toward answers in this matter. Still, Daniel also knew that there were other people involved in making decisions when the military was involved. Jack was the base commander, but even he was not immune to the politics that permeated every aspect of military life at these levels. Much as his somewhat-rebellious friend might hate the bureaucratic red tape associated with his job, he was sometimes powerless to avoid it.

Cutting through the control room, Daniel was exhausted enough that he barely acknowledged the respectful nods of the marines posted at the doorway. The day – hell, the entire _week_ – had been long, brutally physical, and emotionally draining. Still, he knew he'd sleep easier if he understood what the military had in mind regarding his alternate-reality wife. Daniel hoped he could count on unwavering support, but he wasn't about to stake Sha're's future on it.

Halfway up the staircase that led to the briefing room, Daniel heard voices deeply engaged in conversation. He could tell from the heated tones being used that his caution regarding the military was warranted.

"…but under the circumstances, I think we owe it to both of them!" The words, forcefully spoken by Jack, were punctuated by a slamming noise that Daniel assumed to be Jack's fist colliding with the conference table. Curious as to whom he could be arguing so vehemently with, Daniel paused in his ascent and listened.

"With all due respect, General, I disagree with your assessment. The SGC doesn't owe Doctor Jackson more than his fairly-earned paycheck. And before you start in with another long-winded account of the good doctor's most recent acts of heroism, let me remind you that the men and women of this base _all_ act heroically when called to. That is the basis of military life." Those words, uttered crisply and with little emotion, caused Daniel's heart to sink slowly into his stomach – not because the statements themselves were particularly disturbing, but because of the person who spoke them. Richard Woolsey, NID lawyer and lapdog of former Vice President Kinsey was as meticulous as he was cold. Daniel had little respect for any man who willingly cooperated with Kinsey, and even less for someone who could callously count the value of hard-working military personnel in nothing more than dollars and cents.

Jack, apparently, shared that sentiment, as his response to Woolsey's analysis was a loud, inelegant snort. "And _you_, of course, would be in a perfect position to tell _me_ about the basis of military life." Daniel could hear the raw disdain in his friend's voice. "How many years did _you_ serve?" After the briefest of pauses, Jack barreled ahead. "Oh, that's right! _None._ And your civilian career with the Army Corps ended oh-so-well, didn't it? I seem to recall your resignation being demanded."

Though Daniel couldn't see Woolsey bristle at Jack's words, he could imagine the look on the lawyer's face by the chill that passed through the room. "I was asked to resign because of the possible _appearance_ of impropriety. I did nothing wrong."

Jack snorted again. "That just tells me that you were slippery enough to avoid being prosecuted. It hardly makes you innocent." Taking a deep, steadying breath, Jack seemed to collect his ragged thoughts and push ahead. "The fact is, _Dick_, I don't give a rat's ass what it costs. We're going to figure out what's behind these unexplained incidents – not because it might help fill our need for new technology, but because it's the right thing to do." Daniel could practically hear Jack's eyes narrowing as he continued. "That's the part of this you just don't get. If we were just talking about possible new weaponry, you could put a price tag on what it costs the SGC and decide if the number is justifiable. But when you're on _my base_ and you're talking about the lives of _my people_, then you can just forget about the price tag, Woolsey. It doesn't matter. We're going to follow through no matter what the cost is."

The lawyer, however, remained unimpressed. "I might remind you, General, that this is not _your_ base. It belongs to the taxpayers. And as a representative of the Intelligence Oversight Committee, _I_ represent them."

Daniel decided that this would be a good moment to interrupt. Walking quickly up the last few steps, he spoke with as much quiet contempt as he could muster. "Yes, Mr. Woolsey, but you're not the _only_ one who represents them." Daniel caught Jack's surprised look as he stepped into the middle of the conversation. He was also aware of similar looks from Teal'c and Sam, both of whom sat silently around the conference table, absorbing the argument with grim faces. He only hoped that his unexpected appearance put Woolsey as off-balance as his friends seemed to be. Turning to the scowling lawyer, he finished his thought. "After all, the _president_ is commander-in-chief of the military which runs this base. Additionally, the Stargate program operates under a presidential directive, not a congressional order. So, in actuality, the opinion which _really_ matters right now is not yours at all." Turning to Jack, he raised an eyebrow. "Care to use your red phone and settle this once and for all?"

Woolsey's face grew even more pinched than usual at Daniel's assessment. "That won't be necessary." Everyone in the room knew that Jack was in high favor with the president at the moment – certainly much higher than Woolsey, the NID, or the Intelligence Oversight Committee, given the recent disgraceful conduct of Kinsey. Still, the man didn't look ready to give up completely. "But be aware, General; if this flagrant misuse of government dollars persists, I _will_ be forced to take action, even if that means going to the president." With that, Woolsey stood abruptly and snapped his briefcase shut. Fixing Jack with a final, venomous glare, he stiffly turned and marched down the stairs leading out of the briefing room.

Daniel carefully watched his tweed-covered back retreat down the stairs, making sure he didn't stop to repeat his own eavesdropping routine. When he was certain that the callous lawyer was safely out of earshot, he released a tense sigh and sank down into one of the room's conference chairs. "That was unpleasant," he muttered darkly.

Sam nodded her head in agreement. "At least we can ignore most of what he said," she said optimistically.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Most of what he said? How about _all_ of what he said?"

Chewing on her lip, Sam shrugged. "Well, the sentiment behind his reasoning really sucks, but you have to admit, we do have some major questions to answer."

Daniel exchanged uneasy glances with Jack. Both of them knew from past experience that Sam's logic was usually dead-on. If there were going to be potential problems, she'd think of them, though Daniel loathed to admit it. "Like what?" he asked reluctantly.

Sam exhaled sharply. "Well, for starters, is it possible to send her back? And if so, _how_ do we send her back? And if we do manage to figure out how to send her back, where and when do we send her? For that matter, should we send her _anywhere_?" Sam shook her head slowly. "We have no idea what her reappearance would do to her home timeline, given all the new information in her head." Suddenly, she paused, looking completely overwhelmed. "Heck, we don't even know what her appearance will do to _this_ timeline." Sam blinked, trying to clear her head. "The potential for screw-ups is absolutely limitless when you're dealing with alternate realities." She looked her other teammates in the eyes as she finished her thoughts. "Our dealings with the quantum mirror proved that one pretty soundly."

Jack closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of his chair. "Well, Carter," he said after a moment, "Given that we have absolutely no answers for any of those questions, I vote we start by looking into the first one."

Sam wrinkled her brow, trying to remember which question she'd asked first.

"Can we send her back?" Daniel supplied quietly.

As one, Jack, Sam and Teal'c turned to the weary archaeologist and examined him carefully. They all knew what rested on the outcome of their inquiries.

Sam nodded slowly. "I guess it's as good a place to start as any," she murmured. Then, looking her friend in the eye, she reached across the conference table and laid a hand on his. "Daniel," she said quietly, "None of those questions I asked has a right or wrong answer. Even if we do manage to figure out how the Ring works, we might never get a clear answer on what to do next. The decision will ultimately rest with our best scientific guesswork and with Sha're's wishes." She smiled faintly as she continued. "I'd be willing to bet that her wishes will rest heavily on yours."

Daniel returned Sam's smile as best as he could. "Thanks, Sam," he replied softly. Then, looking down at the table, he sighed. "I just want what's best for her."

Jack nodded from across the table. "We all do, Daniel." Sharing a meaningful look with his wife, he sighed deeply. "We all do."


	12. Alien Technology

A/N: For those of you who've read my other stories, you might remember that the author's note for _Reap_'s epilogue talked about my descent into "holiday hell." Well, I'm afraid I fell into it again this year, hence the rather lengthy delay in posting this chapter. I won't discuss the other horrifically long list of graduate school requirements I've finally finished this month, but will rather just say that whoever decided to place those deadlines in the same two-week span as my husband's birthday, the twins' birthday, mid-quarter progress reports, and CHRISTMAS deserves to be shot. About the best thing I can say about December is that it's over. Thank GOD.

One more thing… I hope no one minds that I described the SGC's conference table as "oak." For all I know, it could be mahogany… hard to tell by just looking at it. Sorry to any wood-workers out there if I got it wrong! (Good grief. I'm really starting to sound a bit obsessive, yes?)

Anyway, on with the show.

* * *

Chapter 12

"You're kidding, right?" Daniel's expression contained a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "Have you discussed this with Sam?"

Jack, sitting across from Daniel at one of the tables in the mess hall, winced slightly at the question. "Not exactly," he mumbled.

Daniel laughed outright at the quiet admission. "Well, let me know when you're going to tell her. I'd like to be close enough to watch the show."

Glaring at his friend, Jack just shrugged. "It's the only idea that anyone has had for three weeks. If you can come up with something better, by all means, be my guest."

Just as Jack finished his grumblings, Teal'c placed a tray on the table beside Daniel's and took a seat. "Is there a problem?" the stoic Jaffa asked quietly.

Jack snorted. "T, when _isn't _there a problem around here?"

Completely ignoring the question, Daniel turned to Teal'c and filled him in. "Jack had an idea for helping Sha're."

One of the warrior's eyebrows lifted with interest. "Indeed?"

Daniel nodded, unable to suppress his smile as he continued. "Yeah, but I don't think he's going to get it past Sam."

Teal'c looked at Jack expectantly. "And what is this idea, O'Neill?"

Shooting another irritated glance at Daniel, Jack replied reluctantly. "I thought we could ask the Tok'ra for some guidance."

Teal'c inclined his head. "Why would Samantha object to this plan? I'm sure she would be glad to ask her father for his advice."

Daniel just chuckled. "That's just it. She already _has_ asked Jacob. He's been so busy here, helping with the twins, that he hasn't been able to offer anything useful." Teal'c sat patiently, waiting for the punch line, so to speak. Not wanting to disappoint his audience, Daniel continued gleefully. "Of course, when we sent a message to the Tok'ra, they said they'd be happy to send someone over right away." He grinned. "And you'll never guess who they want to send…"

Teal'c's lips twitched in an unusual sign of amusement. "I believe Anise has had a good deal of experience with extracting hidden memories. Would she not be the obvious choice?"

"Oh, just shut up. Both of you." Jack looked at his companions with disgust. "I don't see what the big deal is. She might have had a little thing for me in the past, but I'm _married_ now, for cryin' out loud!"

Daniel's smile didn't fade in the slightest. "True, but I've always known her to be, uh, _persistent_ when she wanted something badly enough."

Jack continued to glare across the table. "Speaking of which, I wouldn't be quite so smug if I were in your shoes. One of the two people living in that body has the hots for _you_. And you're _not_ married." After the briefest of pauses, Jack's brow wrinkled. "Or are you?"

The question, asked innocently enough, sent an arrow of emotion through Daniel's chest. "Beats the hell out of me," he said softly. Suddenly serious, he looked at Jack and shrugged. "I don't think there's any precedent for this particular set of circumstances."

Jack sighed, immediately remorseful. "Damn. I'm sorry, Daniel. I didn't mean to-"

Raising a hand, the archaeologist silenced his friend with a smile. "Don't worry, Jack. This whole situation is beyond bizarre. I know you meant well."

Taking a deep breath, Jack nodded. "Which, in spite of what Carter might think, is why we need all the help we can get."

"Did I just hear someone call me Carter?" The three had been so engrossed in their conversation that Sam seemed to materialize from out of nowhere. Settling down beside her husband, she leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. "And what, exactly, am I thinking that you seem to disagree with?" Looking from Jack to Daniel, she easily picked up on the tense atmosphere around the table.

Jack suppressed a groan. Seeing amusement return to the faces across from him, he wrinkled his nose briefly before continuing. "I had an idea," he said reluctantly. "It's a _good_ idea, but Daniel seems to think you won't like it."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Oh really? And what, pray tell, is this idea?"

"He wants to ask Anise for help," Daniel supplied helpfully, smiling broadly at the evil glare Jack was shooting him.

At Daniel's words, Sam's wide blue eyes narrowed. "Oh really?" she asked with deceptive mildness, turning to stare her husband.

Jack threw up his hands defensively. "I wanted to ask the _Tok'ra_ for help," he clarified quickly. "Sending Anise was entirely their idea, I swear."

Sam continued to gaze piercingly at him for a few more moments before relaxing. Then, with a sudden smile, she shrugged. "I know," she said cheerfully. "Dad already told me."

Jack's jaw dropped. "Then what was the dirty look for?" he exclaimed indignantly.

She chuckled. "Just having a little fun at your expense," she said with a wink. Then, looking deviously across the table, she smirked. "But, of course, being psychic, you probably already knew that, right?"

Jack didn't even flinch as his three lunch companions all broke out into peals of laughter. Popping a French fry into his mouth, he merely shrugged. "Sure, go ahead. Mock me." Turning to look at Sam, he leveled a sarcastic smile at her. "My psychic intuition tells me that if you keep making fun of your husband, he's going to start leaving dirty diapers under the front seat of your car. And that goes for all of you," he said menacingly, looking at the amused faces across the table.

Daniel just smiled. "Whatever you say, Jack." Then, focusing on the original topic of conversation, he glanced at Sam. "Did your dad say when Anise was planning on being here?"

Sam opened her mouth to answer him, but was interrupted by the loud alarm signifying an unscheduled offworld activation. Smiling, she pointed in the direction of the gate room. "My guess is that's her right now."

* * *

The conference room was unnaturally quiet as the coolly beautiful Tok'ra settled herself at the long, oak table. Following her example, the four members of SG-1 and Dr. Brightman also took their seats.

A long moment of silence reigned until Jack finally broke it by clearing his throat. "Ah, thanks for coming," he said haltingly, obviously unsure of what to say next.

Daniel saw his friend's awkward mannerisms and decided to help out. "I think Jacob explained our current situation to you," he said quietly, trying to meet Anise's cool gaze without flinching.

Looking detached, but not uninterested, the striking woman inclined her head. "He did, and I am happy to assist you." She nodded in the direction of the gateroom as she continued. "I have brought the zatarc apparatus with me, though I'm not sure how much help it will be in this situation."

At the mention of the alien lie-detecting equipment, both Sam and Jack winced visibly. The zatarc machine had played a painful role in their past, forcing confessions of deeply-buried emotions at an inopportune and uncomfortable point in their careers. The airing of those feelings had been necessary, but the circumstances surrounding the confessions were awkward and difficult.

Daniel noted his friends' discomfort, but continued anyway. "We're fairly certain that Sha're's condition is not the result of Goa'uld mind manipulation," he said firmly. Not unlike Sam and Jack, Daniel was also remembering their last encounter with the device. When hidden emotions caused the detector to give a false positive result, Jack had been scheduled for a mental cleansing procedure that could have left him brain damaged. Daniel did not want the Tok'ra's help if it could possibly put Sha're into that kind of danger.

For her part, Anise seemed to understand his anxiety. "Rest assured, Doctor Jackson, we will only use the diagnostic tools on the machine." She shrugged delicately. "In truth, because Sha're's condition is _not_ a result of the Goa'uld, I am not certain I will be able to help at all. The zatarc detector was created for a very specific purpose."

Jack cleared his throat, not wanting to dwell on that specific purpose, nor its impact on his past. "So, how long before you can give us any results?" he asked directly.

Anise smiled in her customarily cool, professional manner. "I can start immediately, if you like."

* * *

Sha're sat in her quarters, idly brushing her dark hair, when a soft knock sounded at her door. "Come in," she called out in English, still amazed by her ability to speak the foreign language so well.

When the door swung open, she saw only Daniel and a smile began to form on her lips. Then, however, she noticed a tall, blond woman standing just behind him. All at once, her breath froze in her lungs. "Daniel," she gasped, reverting back to her native tongue, "that woman is a Goa'uld!" Terror clogged her throat, making her hoarse and breathless.

Daniel's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Then, seeing the absolute panic on her face, he quickly rushed over to her and took her hands in his. "No," he said calmly, looking steadily into her frenzied gaze, "she's a Tok'ra. She carries a symbiote, but she and her people are our allies against the Goa'uld."

Though Sha're's dark eyes continued to show alarm, Daniel's words calmed her somewhat. "I have never heard of such a thing," she said quietly. Then, blinking, she shook her head. "Or maybe I have," she mumbled, looking confused. Turning her eyes back to Daniel, she let his calm, blue eyes wash away her remaining fear. "I will trust you on this," she whispered.

From her position in the doorway, Anise also appeared somewhat unsettled. "How could you sense my symbiote?" she asked curiously. "I can feel no naquadah in your body, yet you obviously managed to sense it in mine."

Sha're pulled her eyes away from Daniel and regarded Anise warily. "I do not know," she said softly, in English.

Nodding faintly, Anise seemed to accept this answer. "Doctor Jackson has invited me here to see if I can discover some clues to your unexplained memories," she said calmly, getting to the business at hand.

Sha're glanced at Daniel. Seeing his reassuring nod, she took a deep breath. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

Three hours later, Daniel returned to the conference room and heavily sank into an empty chair. The three other members of SG-1 were already assembled, as was Dr. Brightman. Jack was about to open his mouth and ask Daniel for a recounting of the zatarc testing when he was cut off by the entrance of Anise.

All eyes turned to the woman, who seemed completely unruffled by the attention. Deliberately taking a place at the table, she looked casually at the faces before her.

"So…" Jack asked expectantly, "what did you find?"

Anise paused a moment, collecting her thoughts. "Not much, I'm afraid," she said with a hint of apology in her voice. "Her thought patterns were…" she trailed off, as if trying to find the correct words. After a few seconds, she drew a deep breath and let it out. "They were completely unlike anything I've ever seen before. It is my belief that she has been affected by some piece of technology, though I cannot begin to guess what this technology might be, nor how it might be affecting her."

Daniel stared listlessly at the tabletop, clearly having heard this before. "In short, there's nothing she can do to help."

Hearing the obvious pain in Daniel's voice, the Tok'ra turned her eyes upon him. With uncharacteristic compassion, she smiled apologetically. "I do wish there was more I can do."

At this point, Dr. Brightman interjected. "Did you sense Sha're's condition to be static? Or do you think it will continue to progress?"

Anise considered the question. "I am fairly certain that you will see more changes in her as time goes by. I sensed the presence of some kind of blockage in her memory, though the detector was not able to discern anything specific beyond that."

The doctor scribbled some notes down on a legal pad in front of her and then tapped her pen to her lips, thinking. "In our somewhat limited medical experience, we often treat patients with memory loss by immersing them in things that might trigger remembrance." She looked to Anise as she continued. "Do you think this would be advisable in this situation?"

The blond woman shrugged. "I can think of no reason to advise against it. From your accounting, all of Sha're's current unexplained memories were, indeed, triggered by some sort of mental connection to events occurring around her."

Dr. Brightman nodded, "Yes, but do you think that these memories could be dangerous to her?"

At that, Anise sighed quietly. "I wish I could answer that with any degree of certainty, but I honestly do not know. It could be dangerous to keep the memories repressed, or it could be dangerous to bring them to the surface. There is no way to tell without understanding the technology that first put her in this condition."

All of the eyes around the table slowly turned to Daniel. Sensing their desire for his opinion, he just shrugged. "Don't ask me," he said quietly. "Ask Sha're. She's the one who will be at risk," he finished dismally, clearly unhappy with the possibility that his former wife could be in danger.

Jack saw the anxiety on his friend's face and felt a wave of sympathy wash over him. He understood all too well the frustration of watching a loved one being placed in grave peril. He'd watched Sam risk her life on countless occasions during their years together at the SGC. It _never_ got easier. Once again clearing his throat, he addressed his remarks to the whole group, but looked directly at Daniel as he spoke. "I think asking Sha're for her opinion is the best course of action, so long as no one else can think of any objections to it." Glancing around the table, he carefully noted Sam's expression.

Feeling her husband's eyes upon her, Sam shrugged. "There's no point in worrying about preserving her timeline now," she said pragmatically. "She already knows enough to change the course of history back in her own dimension, so it doesn't seem particularly dangerous to let her remember more."

Nodding, Jack looked back at Daniel. "Why don't you go and ask her?" he suggested gently.

Daniel sighed heavily and rose from the table. Then, as an afterthought, he glanced at Anise. "Thank you," he said to her, still sounding grim. "I appreciate your willingness to help."

She nodded. "I only wish I could have done more."

By the concerned and demoralized looks around the table, Anise wasn't alone in her desire.

* * *

Later that evening, Jack sat at his desk, idly twirling a pencil between his fingers when the door to his office opened. Looking up, he was about to scold his visitor for not knocking when he saw his wife standing in the doorway, Daniel in tow behind her.

"Carter," he said teasingly, enjoying the annoyed spark in her eyes at his stubborn use of her maiden name.

"_General_," she replied formally, stressing the importance of his rank in retaliation, "we've come to talk about Sha're's decision."

Jack couldn't quite suppress the grin which flickered across his features, in spite of the importance of her words. He doubted he'd ever tire of this particular game. "Come on in," he said cheerfully.

The two stepped into his office, Daniel closing the door after himself. When they were both seated, Jack regarded them intently. "What's the verdict?" he asked.

Daniel smiled a little when he spoke. "She wants to try triggering memories," he said with a hint of pride. "She's scared of the consequences, but thinks that if she remembers more, she might find some clues to this whole mystery."

Jack nodded. "I thought that would probably be the case," he replied. "So, where does that leave us?"

Sam massaged the back of her neck and exhaled deeply. "Well," she said uncertainly, "there hasn't been much rhyme or reason to her leaps in memory, except that they seem to happen most often when Daniel is around." She shrugged. "I'd suggest we let her spend as much time with him as they're both comfortable with."

Jack darted a glance at the archaeologist, who seemed to look a bit numb at this point. "All right," he said slowly, directing his words to Sam, "but I can't risk sending her offworld."

Daniel nodded absently at Jack's words. Looking up slowly, he spoke with a kind of dazed acceptance. "I'll stay here for the foreseeable future. There's plenty of research I can do on Earth."

Sam smiled. "I'm sure there are a few dozen books you've been dying to read, right? The library is going to have its hands full with you around."

At that, Jack seemed to realize something. "If she's going to be spending all her time with Daniel, we're going to have to let her off the base."

Both Sam and Daniel looked up at that remark. "I hadn't thought of that," Daniel admitted sheepishly. "Do you think the powers-that-be will allow it?"

Jack waved a hand dismissively. "I can handle it," he said confidently. "I've got a few favors I can call in."

Sam rolled her eyes. "If nothing else, he'll use his psychic powers of persuasion to his advantage."

Daniel chuckled, shaking his head. "Let's hope it doesn't come down to that."


	13. Private Conversations

A/N: Quite amazingly, I've managed to put this chapter out relatively quickly. The amazing part of this stems from the fact that I have not one, but _two_ barfing toddlers and no childcare. How great is that? Anyway, they're in bed, and I needed to escape from the reality of two-year-olds with the stomach flu.

I'll probably be next. How great is _that_?

Ugh.

So, happy New Year. May yours be less vomit-filled than mine.

Oh, and I know this chapter is kind-of lame, but it had to be written before I could get to some of the fun things I have planned for the rest of the story.

* * *

Chapter 13

Daniel walked swiftly down the last corridor between the infirmary and Sha're's quarters. He'd just finished briefing Dr. Brightman on their most recent plan of attack, and was eager to share the news with Sha're. He was about to turn the last corner when, suddenly, a figure stepped out from a doorway, nearly colliding with him. Stopping in his tracks, he took a moment to regain his balance and then opened his mouth to politely apologize. Before the words had formed, however, he realized who the figure belonged to.

Anise.

_Great._

Pasting a phony smile on his face, he cleared his throat. "Uh, hi." He said lamely.

Totally unruffled by the near miss, Anise smiled with a great deal more warmth than she usually did. "Greetings, Daniel," she said softly. "Are you well?"

Blinking at the unexpected – and completely unwanted – attention, Daniel struggled for an impersonal answer that might end the conversation before it started. "Ah, yeah," he mumbled. "Fine." Then, hoping to escape, he scrambled for an excuse. "You know, I really-"

Completely ignoring his distant attitude, Anise plowed right over his words. "I am glad we have this chance to speak." Her voice, the deep, alien baritone which characterized a Tok'ra, was warm and blatantly seductive.

Trying not to wrinkle his nose distastefully, Daniel looked at the floor in an attempt to hide his rising anxiety. "Really?" he asked her toes, "Why is that?"

Though he could no longer see her face, the timbre of her voice left no doubt as to her intentions. "Because I felt it would be wise to speak of our past romantic involvement. I do not wish for there to be any lingering awkwardness between us, especially if we may be working together in helping your friend regain her memories."

Unable to stop himself, Daniel choked at the mention of their 'past romantic involvement.' Being diplomatic was ingrained in his personality, especially when dealing with important allies of the SGC, but his skills were certainly being tested in this instance. "Anise, I don't think-"

Once again interrupting him, she sounded almost forlorn as she continued. "We both know why our attraction can never be acted upon. It is outside of our control. I can never go against Freya's wishes in this matter. But perhaps you might find some comfort in knowing that, even after the many years since our last kiss, I still wish we could have been more to each other." Brazenly, she placed a finger under Daniel's chin and tipped his head up so that he met her eyes. "Do you think you can find it in yourself to work with me as a professional? If it is too difficult, I will ask for reassignment."

That question actually made Daniel think for a moment. He might be able to get rid of her! After a brief moment of temptation, he remembered that, in addition to being an ally, she might also be a useful tool for helping Sha're in the future. And he certainly didn't want her asking the High Council for reassignment on the grounds that he was in love with her. Squelching a shudder at that thought, he shook his head. "That won't be necessary," he said as politely as possible. "I'm sure we can both be professionals."

Anise looked yearningly into his blue eyes for a long moment before sighing in resignation. "Indeed," she murmured. Then, patting his cheek softly, she whispered, "Farewell, Daniel," before walking down the hallway he'd just left.

Daniel stood for a moment, turning to watch her go. Shaking his head in amusement, he found himself looking forward to sharing this particular experience with Sam. After his last encounter with the amorous Tok'ra, he'd shared all the gory details with his friends in an effort to cheer them up. Neither Sam nor Jack had ever admitted their brief affair during their stranding on P5X-918, but both had been understandably glum after their return. To this day, neither of them had ever spoken a word about it, but Daniel could imagine the difficulties they'd faced, attempting to put the forbidden feelings behind them.

His smile took on a more easygoing quality as he pondered the happy ending that had finally come to pass for his friends. They had certainly earned it.

Watching the shapely Tok'ra disappear around a corner, he let out a quiet snort of laughter. Sam might not need cheering up anymore, but she'd still enjoy hearing about the totally imaginary relationship Anise had cooked up in her head. With one last chuckle, he put the whole ordeal out of his head and turned back toward Sha're's quarters.

He might not have been quite as amused, however, if he could have seen his stricken wife at that moment. Totally unaware of the circumstances surrounding Anise's words, she'd been on her way to visit Dr. Brightman, when she'd accidentally overheard the entire conversation. With the Tok'ra's words of parting, Sha're had whirled around and fled back to her quarters, choking back disappointed tears.

* * *

Three days later, Daniel sat in a corner of the mess, absently pushing a few lonely peas around with his fork. Staring off into space, he tried to put his finger on what could possibly have caused Sha're's recent change in demeanor.

When he'd approached her about the decision to trigger her memories, she'd been cheerful, determined, and full of her usual spirit. But just an hour later, when he'd relayed the plan for her recovery, she'd been reserved, quiet, and strangely sad. He'd tried to determine the cause of her sudden shift in moods, but he'd been unable to get past her defenses. Worse than that, she hadn't reported regaining a single memory in that time.

Walking across the room with a plastic take-out container full of mixed greens, Sam saw Daniel's gloomy, far-off look and immediately decided to check in on her friend. She'd been planning to eat in her lab today in order to catch up on some backlogged work, but there was simply no way she could ignore his obvious distress.

Sitting down across from him, she smiled warmly. "Hi, Daniel."

Brought out of his thoughts by Sam's cheerful voice, he blinked and turned his attention to her smiling face. "Oh. Hi." He knew his greeting was somewhat strained, but he didn't really have the heart for idle chatter at the moment.

Unable to hide her concern, she looked at him intently. "What's the matter?"

Daniel smiled faintly at her ability to read his thoughts so well. "Nothing concrete," he replied. "I'm just worried about Sha're."

Opening her salad, she ripped open the cellophane packet of French dressing and spread it evenly over the leafy mixture. "Is she having trouble remembering things?" she inquired quietly, "Because Dr. Brightman did say it might take months for her to really make any progress."

Daniel shook his head. "No, it's not that." Both he and Sha're were aware the doctor's warnings. Amnesia patients, she'd explained, often regained their past experiences in fits and starts. That wasn't what was bothering him. "Something happened," he explained quietly. "I have no idea what, but _something_ upset her." He shrugged. "One minute she was determined and cheerful. The next minute, she was completely depressed and withdrawn. I have no idea what the problem is." The frustration in his voice was clearly evident.

Sam paused, looking at her friend's intense expression. "Maybe it's something she doesn't feel comfortable talking to you about," she suggested gently.

At that, Daniel's eyes shot up. "But she could always tell me anything," he replied, sounding hurt.

Putting her fork down, Sam reached across the table and patted his hand lightly. "I know," she sympathized, "but this Sha're doesn't know you as well as the one you remember. Maybe she just needs some space to work things out."

Nodding, Daniel issued a resigned sigh. "You're probably right," he admitted. "I'd just feel a whole lot better if she had someone else to talk to. It must be terrifying, being stranded in an alien dimension with no friends or family."

Sam felt her heartstrings tug with compassion over his obvious distress. "I could try talking to her, if you think it would help." The suggestion wasn't much, but it was all she had to offer.

Daniel looked up at her, looking both hopeful and appreciative. "Would you?"

She nodded. "Sure." Then, smiling wryly, she shrugged. "Not sure how much good it will do, though. I'm not much for girl talk."

Daniel chuckled. "That's okay, neither is Sha're." One of the things that had initially drawn him to her was the sensible, brave way she approached everything in life. "I have a hard time picturing either of you giggling over nail polish or fashion magazines."

Grinning, Sam agreed. "I was always more interested in _Popular Science_ than _Cosmo_."

The amusement faded from Daniel's blue eyes as his thoughts returned to the situation at hand. "It doesn't matter what you talk about. Just be a friend to her."

Sam squeezed his hand gently. "How could I be anything but?"

* * *

Sam knocked on the door to Sha're's quarters quietly. It was somewhat late – almost ten o'clock – but she'd finally managed to wrap up the last of her overdue reports. In spite of the hour, however, she wanted to keep her promise to Daniel – even if it meant returning home long after the twins were in bed. Jack knew of her plans this evening and understood, even if he teased her about missing their "only three quiet hours alone" in the day.

There was no immediate response to her knocking and she was about to give up and leave, when suddenly, the door swung open.

Sam examined the dark-haired woman and instantly felt foolish. Sha're was wearing a long, cotton nightgown and was clearly ready for bed. "I'm sorry," she apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to disturb you. I can come back tomorrow."

Sha're's face, however, lit up with a brilliant smile when she saw Sam standing in her door. "No, please," she said in heavily-accented English. "I would like the company." She opened the door all the way and gestured for Sam to come in.

Stepping hesitantly into the room, Sam couldn't help but notice how Spartan the chamber was. "Boy, you'd think they'd give you some pictures or something," she mumbled absently. Then, turning her attention back to the other woman, Sam was struck with a thought. "Maybe we could go shopping?"

Sha're looked a little overwhelmed. "Shopping?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah. You know, for some things to put in your room. Wouldn't you like to see some color in here?"

Smiling shyly, Sha're nodded tentatively. "I would like that," she said, "but I did not think I was allowed to leave your base without Daniel."

Sam just smiled. "I'm sure I can persuade General O'Neill to let me stand in for him. Or," she said, struck by a thought, "we could bring Daniel with us, if you'd like."

Instantly, Sha're's face fell. "Oh," she mumbled, "I suppose we could do that."

Surprised by the dark-haired woman's clear aversion to the suggestion, Sam paused a moment before responding. "Sha're, is something wrong? Why wouldn't you want Daniel nearby?"

Biting her lip, Sha're seemed to wrestle with her thoughts. After a few seconds, she met Sam's blue eyes timidly. "I _do_ want him nearby," she admitted softly. "But I am afraid of becoming a burden to him. I know he must have other duties and activities in his life and I would not want to take him away from them."

Sam stepped forward without hesitation. "Oh, Sha're, don't be silly. Daniel _cares_ about you." Seeing that the lovely woman wasn't entirely convinced, Sam spoke with as much passion as she could muster. "When Daniel returned from Abydos and joined SG-1 all those years ago, he had only one goal in mind: To _save_ _you_. You're probably the most important person in the world to him. He could _never_ see you as a burden." Pausing, she sat down on the edge of the bed, gesturing for Sha're to do the same. When they were both settled, she took a deep breath and then slowly began sharing a very personal story.

"Not too long ago, when I was pregnant with the twins, there was an accident on one of Jack's missions." Steeling herself against the emotions that still swamped her when she recalled those dark days, Sam forced herself to continue. "We thought he was dead."

Sha're's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Samantha," she whispered. "How terrible that must have been for you!"

Nodding, Sam felt her eyes well with tears, in spite of her best efforts. "I can't describe it," she murmured. Then, remembering the point to her story, she seemed to shake off the lingering darkness of those months. "But I do remember feeling exactly as you just described. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone. I thought I should be able to do everything on my own." She smiled wryly. "Daniel, of course, pretty much ignored me when I said as much. He wouldn't even consider allowing me to cope with Jack's loss and my pregnancy by myself. So, even though he was dealing with his own loss, he took me into his house and stood by me, right up to the day the twins were born." When she looked at Sha're, her eyes once again shone, but this time they were happy tears. "Daniel's friendship saved me at the darkest hour of my life. And now that I can look back on that awful time with some perspective, I see that he found as much comfort in helping me as I found in being helped. Does that make sense?"

Slowly beginning to understand Sam's point, Sha're nodded slightly. "You think that if Daniel helps me, it will help him?"

The question was issued so softly, Sam had to strain to hear it. "Yes," she replied. "That's exactly what I think."

The two women looked at each other for a long moment. Then, with a small smile, Sha're nodded. "Then perhaps we should invite Daniel to shop with us."

* * *

A/N: I realize we haven't had much insight into Sha're's thoughts yet, but I've actually done that on purpose. I want you, the reader, to learn about her as our favorite SG team does. I've been chewing on the next chapter for a while now, and I think you're going to like it… evil author grin 


	14. Confessions

A/N: I can say with some certainty that I have NEVER been as sick in my whole life as I have been over the last few weeks. The 24-hour intestinal bug my children infected me with somehow mutated into a hellish super-virus once in _my_ body. My doctor called it a "post-viral syndrome." Personally, I think "The Black Death" is a much better descriptor.

In any event, I'm once again eating solid foods. So, to celebrate, I sat down and wrote this next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 14

Sitting in his small, cluttered office, Daniel aimlessly shuffled the papers on his desk from one stack to another, not really paying attention to what he was doing. It had been three weeks since Sha're had begun spending much of her time with him both on- and off-base. At first, there had been considerable tension between them, but with the help of Sam's irrepressible cheerfulness, even that had slowly dissipated. Now, his outings with his former wife were friendly, comfortable, and undeniably pleasant. Though she'd made little, if any progress in retrieving lost memories, she was certainly making headway in living like a fairly normal American woman. Sam had initiated her in the ways of shopping, makeup, and cable TV, resulting in Sha're's immersion in modern pop culture. All in all, she seemed to be adapting perfectly.

He ought to be elated.

He wasn't.

"You know, I'd never claim to be an expert in all that ancient, historical mumbo-jumbo you study, but I think you might want to take another look at what you're doing there."

Jack's dry, somewhat amused voice brought Daniel sharply out of his reverie. Blinking, he glanced down at his desk. Much to his embarrassment, he'd just placed a classified document about an archaeological dig on P4X-773 on top of a stack of Sha're's Victoria's Secret catalogs. "Oh, good grief," he muttered, flushing slightly.

Unable to stifle a grin, Jack shook his head slightly. "Seems to me you've got it pretty bad, Danny-Boy."

Not sharing Jack's amusement, Daniel leveled a dark glare across his desk. "Don't you have work to do, or something?"

Unwilling to let his friend's mood dampen his own, Jack just shrugged. "Probably. But this is much more fun." Looking around the general chaos that perpetually inhabited Daniel's office, he finally found a sturdy-looking crate in one corner. Pulling the heavy box beside the cluttered desk, he sat down comfortably, making it very clear he wasn't going anywhere. After a moment, he let some of his amusement slip away. "Anything you wanna talk about?"

Seeing the concern on his long-time friend's face, Daniel felt some of his annoyance disappear. "I don't think talking about it is going to help," he mumbled grimly.

Jack nodded. That was certainly a sentiment he'd felt in his own heart on many occasions. "Still," he added quietly, "it can't hurt either." A lesson he'd learned from his lovely wife.

Daniel smiled faintly, also hearing Sam's attitude in Jack's words. "You're a changed man, you know that?"

Rolling his eyes, Jack nodded again. "Don't I ever. I used to wake up in the middle of the night because my knees were screaming." He smiled. "Turns out my knees were significantly quieter than a pair of hungry babies."

Daniel chuckled, imagining his friend stumbling out of bed for a 2-o'clock feeding. Seeing the underlying satisfaction on Jack's face, though, convinced him that these changes were deeply welcomed. "You love it," he said, no hint of a question in his voice.

Unable to deny the statement, Jack's expression took on a faraway look as he replied. "Beats the hell out of what I'd pictured my life being." After a moment, he turned his intense gaze back to his friend. "But we're not talking about me."

Smiling wryly, Daniel sighed deeply. "What do you want to know?" Jack's wordless, intense stare never wavered. He simply sat on the crate, silently waiting for Daniel to vent his frustrations.

After a few moments, the archaeologist caved. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand through his already-tousled hair. "I had no idea this was going to be so difficult." When he opened his eyes, the torment in their blue depths was obvious. "Every minute we spend together reminds me of why I married her in the first place," he admitted quietly. "I'm constantly bombarded by memories of our life together…" Trailing off, he took a slow, pained breath. "Which, of course, she has absolutely no recollection of." He winced. "To her, I'm just this really nice guy who takes her off of the base."

Jack regarded his friend solemnly. "And to you, she's the woman you married and shared a life with."

Daniel returned Jack's gaze with a hopeless expression. "I'm going crazy," he mumbled.

Seeing the despair in Daniel's gaze, Jack couldn't help feel sympathy for his friend. "You talked to Sam about this?" he asked quietly. "She's much better at these relationship things than I am."

Daniel couldn't help smiling at that admission. "Jack," he said lightly, "_Teal'c_ is better at 'these relationship things' than you are."

"Very funny," Jack replied dryly. "But I'm serious. You should talk to her. She and Sha're are thick as thieves these days. They're doing all these _girl_ things together," he said with a disbelieving note in his voice. "My wife actually had a pedicure last week."

Laughing at the puzzled expression on Jack's face, Daniel shook his head. "She _is_ a girl, Jack. You've just forgotten how much of that sort of thing she and Janet used to do together." His smile took on a warmer quality at the mention of their old comrade. "Sam had to miss that."

Jack seemed surprised by the thought. "I never thought of it that way."

Daniel shrugged. "I'm just glad Sha're has someone she can turn to."

Across the desk, Jack's lined features took on an intense, knowing expression. "She can turn to _you_," he said simply.

Sighing, Daniel acknowledged his friend's insight with a faint smile. "Always."

Jack nodded. "Just don't give up." He gazed steadily at his friend as he spoke. "Wasn't too long ago I thought I'd be an old, bitter, retired general with no family and a boatload of regrets." Quirking one corner of his mouth up, his dark eyes reflected ageless wisdom. "Don't underestimate the power of 'always,' Daniel."

* * *

Sam took a large bite of her Caesar salad, relishing both the flavor and the unfamiliar sensation of eating without a baby on her lap. She had enlisted Sarah's aid for the morning so she and Sha're could go out for some shopping and lunch. She couldn't quite squelch the tiny bubble of guilt she felt for leaving the twins so she could have some R&R, but the stress-free hours were still undeniably welcomed.

Sha're watched her friend across the table, smiling warmly. "You are feeling bad for leaving Jonathan and Janelle," she said knowingly.

Sam swallowed her bite of salad and winced slightly. "Is it that obvious?" she asked, looking sheepish.

The dark-haired woman shook her head reassuringly. "Only because I've seen the look before." She reached over and patted Sam's hand. "You should not feel this way, Samantha. This morning was not only a great help to me, but also a much-needed break for _you_." She eyed her new friend meaningfully. "I know that you feel you must do everything, but it _is_ okay to take a break."

Sam laughed. "That's exactly what Sarah said when I asked her to watch the twins."

Sha're nodded and picked up her sandwich. "I'm sure she was very happy to take them for a few hours. She is always so excited to see them."

Reflecting on the other woman's words, Sam felt a brief flash of sadness. Softly, she acknowledged the simple truth. "She loves children."

Seeing the subtle shift in Sam's mood, Sha're stopped eating for a moment. "What is it, Sam?"

Looking across the table, Sam couldn't help be amazed at the woman's acute perceptiveness. Over the past few weeks, Sha're had continually shown herself to be both sensitive and wise in the ways of human relationships. It was no wonder Daniel had been so smitten with her. Glad to have someone to share her feelings with, Sam quietly admitted her thoughts. "I just can't help feeling badly sometimes. Sarah is such a wonderful friend and she's been through so much in her life."

Sha're's gaze missed none of the emotions flickering in Sam's eyes. "You feel guilty that you have a happy family with Jack when she lost hers." Sam's gaze fluttered to the table, confirming the statement without words. Sha're sighed. "Sam, you cannot feel responsible for this. Terrible things happen sometimes," she said quietly. "We must make the best of what remains and go on. You and Jack have done this. You should rejoice in that, not feel badly."

Sam released a soft breath. "I know," she said quietly. "But it still makes me sad to know she's lost so much when I've been so fortunate."

Sha're nodded with understanding. "But when you share your children with her, you give her joy. That is a gift of friendship, Samantha."

Shaking her head, Sam met her new friend's dark eyes with a look of admiration. "You're really something," she said with a smile. "How'd you get to be so smart?"

At that, Sha're laughed musically. "I find it quite funny that _you_ would call _me_ smart," she chuckled.

Sam waved her hand dismissively. "Astrophysics is easy compared to relationships," she asserted. "That's probably why Dr. Phil makes five times as much money as I do."

Still grinning, Sha're immediately understood the reference. Dr. Phil was one of her favorite TV shows. "Wisdom and insight are indeed precious commodities," she agreed. "Where I come from, these qualities are also highly valued." She was careful not to mention her planet by name, nor make any references to classified information when out in public. "Still, I find myself lacking them in my own situation."

Sam's eyes registered disbelief. "Sha're, you could give Dr. Phil lessons," she insisted.

The other woman sighed deeply and began to look somewhat melancholy. "It is much easier to see the truth when it applies to someone else," she said softly.

Sam reached over the table and squeezed her friend's hand. "Are you worried about Daniel?" she asked gently.

Not meeting Sam's eyes, Sha're shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Samantha," she began hesitantly. "I… I have a confession to make." Slowly looking up, her gaze reflected a combination of fear and guilt. "I have not been entirely honest with you and your colleagues."

Both intrigued and a bit worried, Sam kept her expression warm and open. Whatever her friend was about to admit, she would try to be supportive. Surely the enormous upheaval in her life could excuse at least most infractions. Sam held firmly to Sha're's hand. "Go ahead," she said gently.

Taking a deep breath, the dark-haired woman seemed to gather her courage. "I know I was supposed to record every new memory in my journal so that General O'Neill could review them."

Sam nodded. When Doctor Brightman had suggested the current course of treatment for Sha're, there had been some concern about monitoring Sha're's progress. It had been Sam's idea that she keep a journal which would be confidentially reviewed by Jack and Dr. Brightman for any items of potential significance.

Seeing the kind understanding on her friend's face, Sha're continued. "Samantha," she said quietly, "I must admit that I have not written all of my memories down. I know you stressed how important it was to record _all_ of the things I remember, because even the smallest details could be significant. I know this is true, but I have left a few of my memories out of my writings." Looking beseechingly into Sam's eyes, she spoke with a quiet urgency. "Please do not be mad, Sam. I did not mean to hinder your research. I feel badly for not being as helpful as possible."

Sam blinked. "Sha're, you shouldn't feel pressured to provide a certain type of memory. No one expects you to remember piles of information with military significance. We just want to know what triggers your recollection."

Sha're nodded reluctantly. "I understand, but the things I've left out… They're of a personal nature." Seeing Sam's blank expression, she cleared her throat and tried again. "I've been remembering moments of my life with Daniel." Seeing that Sam still hadn't caught on, she forced herself to clarify. "My _married_ life," she said, stressing the word so that there was no confusion about its very personal meaning.

Suddenly, Sam understood. Blushing furiously, she uttered a quiet "Oh!" of comprehension. Looking down at her salad, she and Sha're endured a few awkward moments of embarrassed silence. Then, without warning, Sam felt a smile spread across her face, in spite of her discomfort. After a moment, a small squeak of laughter escaped her throat.

Startled by Sam's unexpected show of humor, Sha're looked at her friend questioningly.

Overcome with mirth, Sam forced her words past an overwhelming urge to laugh. "I was just imagining what Jack's face would look like if he read _that_ in Dr. Brightman's briefing report."

Sha're's brown eyes met Sam's blue ones, and suddenly the two women burst into peals of hysterical laughter.

Tears streamed down Sha're's face as she pictured that particular scenario. "He'd never be able to look at me again."

Sam, nearly doubled over with mirth, gasped for breath in between spasms of laughter. "Or Daniel either. He'd probably resign his commission!"

After a few long moments, during which the two women drew a fair number of odd looks from other customers, they finally were able to collect themselves. Considering Sha're's admission seriously, Sam did understand the problems such memories must present for her friend. "Sha're, why don't you tell _Daniel_ about this?" Her gentle words were accompanied by a warm smile of support.

Looking very uncomfortable, Sha're sighed. "I do not want to burden him." She glanced at Sam, an expression of helplessness in her eyes. "He has likely moved on with his life. I don't want him to pretend to feel things for me which he has long since put away. I would not have his pity," she admitted, a hint of pride in her words.

Sam met Sha're's gaze steadily. "I think you need to trust him," she insisted kindly. "Daniel will be honest with you, whatever his feelings are." She smiled. "He respects you too much to do anything else."

Sha're bit her lip indecisively. "I will consider your advice," she murmured.

Suddenly, Sam grinned. "In the meantime, I would strongly suggest you _not_ include your most recent memories in your journal." Chuckling, she shook her head. "I'll make sure Dr. Brightman has some idea of your predicament _without_ killing my husband."

With that, the two women once again broke into unrestrained giggles.


	15. Pillow Talk

A/N: Crap. I hate it when I write mistakes.

Here's the deal. I went back over the timelines for Reap and the start of Path, and I came to the conclusion that my dates are a bit wonky. See, I have Jack die in "early autumn," (as written in chapter 25 in Reap), which, if you stretch it a bit can be counted as October. This also fits in with the Iraqi dry season mentioned in Reap. However, 3-1/2 months later, at the start of Path, I have Daniel and Teal'c riding through Iraq in the "early Iraqi Summer," which really should be no earlier than April. And 3-1/2 months after October 1 is mid-February. Quite romantic for a valentine's day wedding, but not even close to "early Iraqi summer." Whoops.

I also realized that, in keeping with the early delivery date associated with twins, the babies would have been about 4 months old, not 3 months old, at the time of Sam and Jack's wedding.

So, let's just pretend that instead of writing about the "early Iraqi summer," I was instead writing about the cool and damp "Iraqi mid-winter." And that the twins were 4 months old when mommy and daddy got married, not 3 months old. This has no bearing whatsoever on the plot, but is vastly annoying to someone as anal and obsessive as me. Don't be surprised if I actually go in and fix these things in the next few days… otherwise, I'm sure it will keep me up at night!

The good news, as I'm sure you all realize, is that all this attention to the timing of my stories undoubtedly means that I have something up my sleeve… (_Mwah-ha-ha!)_

This chapter is entirely, unapologetically, undeniably _fluff_. But I promise more meaty plot developments soon.

* * *

Chapter 15

Yawning, Sam flopped down on the king-sized bed she shared with Jack. "This has been a _very_ long week." Nearly six weeks had passed since her revealing chat with Sha're over lunch. In that time, the two women had become virtually inseparable. Sam's concern for her new friend had pushed her to work relentlessly with the cylinder that seemed to hold the key to her condition. The work was exhausting, especially since it had thus far been unproductive.

Rolling onto his side, Jack gazed affectionately at his wife. "Nah, it only seems that way." He smirked. "Probably because you were trying to solve all the mysteries of the universe before the weekend." He shrugged. "Personally, I'd say it was a pretty typical week."

Sam wiggled closer to him, sighing contentedly as she settled against his side. "Mmmmm," she murmured softly. "Well, I'm just glad it's over."

Jack smiled as he nuzzled the soft hair atop her head. "Time flies when you're saving the world," he quipped.

Sam chuckled. "Nothing quite so dramatic this week," she replied. "I've been working with Daniel on that metallic cylinder from 812." She wrinkled her nose. "I hate to say it, but we aren't any closer to an answer than we were thirteen months ago."

Nodding, Jack squeezed her gently. "Hard to believe that the damn thing has managed to guard its secrets from the two brightest minds in the galaxy for more than a year."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Sorry, Jack, but Thor's in town this month. I think that pretty much bumps one of us out of the running in the 'two brightest minds' contest."

Jack paused a moment before answering. "Well, you've got my vote for the other spot." Another pause. "Just don't tell Daniel I said so. He owes me money."

Laughing, Sam rubbed her face against Jack's warm chest. "Thanks, sweetheart."

After a few more moments of silence, Jack seemed to be struck by a thought. "Speaking of Thor, what does his big, grey brain make of the device?"

Sam immediately pulled away and propped herself up on one elbow, looking Jack squarely in the eye. "Funny you should ask," she said, sounding a bit puzzled. "He's been strangely silent on the topic." Chewing on her lower lip, she shrugged. "I get the feeling he knows more than he's telling us, though I can't imagine why he'd feel the need to be secretive."

Jack felt something odd tugging at the back of his brain. Concentrating, he tried to put his finger on what was causing the sensation, but was unsuccessful.

Still gazing intently at her husband, Sam watched the thoughts flickering across his face with interest. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I have the feeling I know something about this, but I can't quite figure out what."

Sam suppressed a shiver. Even though it had been months since Jack had started exhibiting his 'psychic' flashes, she still wasn't comfortable with them. "Maybe _you_ should be working on this with us," she murmured.

Jack pondered her words slowly, seeming to turn them over in his mind. "Sounds like a good idea," he said finally. "I'll clear my calendar next week."

Sam nodded. "Heaven knows, Daniel and I have reached the end of our wits with the thing."

Suddenly, Jack smiled. "Yeah, but I get the feeling Danny's been a bit… _distracted_ these days."

Sam returned his grin. "I'll say." Shaking her head in amusement, she rolled her eyes. "Those two are hopeless," she declared. "I swear, every time they're in a room together, they both try _really_ hard to pretend they aren't looking at each other, even though we all know that they're paying attention to absolutely nothing else. It's like being in middle school again."

Jack smirked. "I said as much to Daniel last week." Turning a knowing eye on his wife, he continued dryly. "He said that _we_ acted that way for eight years."

Sam met his gaze for a moment before she erupted in giggles. "He's right," she admitted. "Makes me appreciate what good friends he and Teal'c really are to us. _They_ put up with that for most of a decade. I think if _I_ have to watch he and Sha're dance around the issue for much longer, I'm going to shake them both senseless."

Jack continued to smile. "Yeah, but you have to admit, it's kind of funny."

Sam sighed. "It'd be much funnier if they weren't both so miserable."

"True," Jack acknowledged quietly.

Sam snuggled close to his side and smiled up at him slyly. "So," she asked with an air of conspiracy, "what has Daniel told you?"

Jack groaned. "Oh, no. _No._" He shook his head, though there was a smile lurking in his expression. "We are _not_ playing matchmaker."

Pouting, Sam punched him lightly in the ribs. "Come on. Why not?" Chuckling, she rested her hand on the spot she'd just assaulted. "Just think, if it weren't for Shinsall and her Ka'Shakk, _we_ might be in the same miserable situation that they're currently in."

Jack looked unmoved. "Carter, if we start plotting ways to set them up, then _we'll_ be acting like middle school kids."

Sam responded by glaring back at him. "You are _not_ changing the subject by calling me 'Carter.' I won't bite this time." Slowly changing tactics, Sam began lightly tickling the warm skin just below his ribcage, enjoying his valiant attempts to hold still as her fingers danced over a particularly sensitive spot. "Now, tell me what Daniel has said about his wife."

Jack chuckled in spite of himself. Much as the tickling was making him squirm, he was more moved by his wife's determination than her methods of torture. "All right, I give up," he said, sounding contrite. Then, before she knew what was happening, Sam found herself rolled back onto the mattress, pinned firmly by the pleasantly warm, solid mass of her husband's body.

Stifling a shriek of surprise, Sam tried to muster some indignation at his treatment of her. "No fair," she complained. "You're cheating."

"You started it," he said with an impish grin. "We were having a perfectly nice conversation until you started tickling me."

Sam sniffed disdainfully. "That was my best chance at gaining a tactical advantage over you."

Jack rolled his eyes. "When I pin you to the mattress, I'm cheating. But when you tickle me, you're just 'gaining a tactical advantage.' Go figure."

Unable to suppress a smile, she shrugged, thoroughly enjoying the closeness of his warm body. "Don't worry, I have _other_ ways of bending you to my will," she purred seductively.

Laughing, Jack leaned down and gave her a quick, firm kiss. "Don't I know it," he murmured. Then, slowly, a serious look came over his rugged features. "We really almost missed out on all this, didn't we?"

Touched by the tender note in his voice, Sam felt a lump form in her throat. "I don't know about that," she said softly. "I like to think we'd have made it to this point eventually, even if we hadn't tangled with the Colonists."

Jack gazed at her intently. "Really?" He searched her blue eyes for a moment. "I've always figured that if we hadn't been railroaded into a relationship, someone else would have come along and grabbed you. God only knows how long it would have taken me to get it together on my own." Though Pete's name hadn't been spoken, it hung undeniably in the air.

Sam felt her heart lurch. "Oh Jack," she whispered. "I searched my heart a thousand times in those first few weeks after I found out I was pregnant." Reaching up, she caressed his face gently. "Each and every time, I came to the same conclusion. Pete wasn't right for me." Hating the way her husband winced at Pete's name, she pushed ahead resolutely. "I was lonely and sad when I met him. And part of me wanted nothing more than to make you jealous as hell." Looking him squarely in the eye, Sam spoke with firm conviction. "But in spite of all the hurt it's caused all of us, I can't bring myself to regret the relationship. Because, more than any other experience in my life, being with someone who _wasn't_ _you_ made me realize how much I was missing. Nobody else could ever have made me this happy." She smiled brilliantly at him. "One way or another, we would have made it here."

Looking into her crystal-blue gaze, Jack let out a slow breath. "For my part," he mumbled gruffly, "I'm glad it was _this_ way."

Blinking back tears, Sam pulled his face down to hers for a soft, tender kiss. "Me too," she whispered. Then, after another few moments of the sweet embrace, Sam pulled away slightly. "But don't think this has changed the subject." Grinning wickedly, she watched with amusement as a wry shadow crossed her husband's features. "C'mon, sweetheart," she prodded, "Spill it."

Jack speared her with a dry look. "I should warn you, I've been trained to resist interrogation."

Sam raised an eyebrow and stared at him silently.

Knowing that glare all too well, Jack finally admitted defeat. "All right, all right," he muttered. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts. "Daniel definitely has it bad for his wife. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Sam chuckled. "I knew you'd cave eventually." Ignoring the dark glower he was directing at her, she reached up and kissed him soundly. Then, with a scheming grin, she started fishing for details. "How bad?"

Seeing her girlish glee, Jack finally gave in to his urge to smile. "_Bad_," he replied with amusement. "A few weeks ago, I found him shuffling confidential documents in with a stack of Victoria's Secret catalogs."

At that pronouncement, Sam shrieked with laughter for a brief second before remembering the sleeping babies in the next room. Reining in her amusement, she shook her head. "What I wouldn't give to have seen that!"

Jack smiled in remembrance. "Yeah, it was pretty funny." Then, settling onto his side, he once again tucked her comfortably up against him. "So, what about Sha're?"

Sam chuckled, blushing slightly. "I'll spare you the details, but let's just say there are a few memories of Sha're's life in this timeline which didn't end up in her official journal."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Face completely red, Sam nodded with a giggle. "After hearing some of her more… _vivid_ memories, there were a few days when I couldn't even look Daniel in the eye," she admitted sheepishly.

Jack grinned knowingly. "Wow. And he always struck me as the stuffy, bookish sort."

Sam wrinkled her nose and fidgeted. "Can we not talk about this? Thinking about Daniel in bed is like thinking about my _brother_ in bed." She shuddered, shaking off the notion.

With one last chuckle, Jack went along with her change in subject. "So, Cupid, what's your plan for our would-be couple?"

At his words, Sam grew sober. "For now, nothing." With a deep sigh, she explained her reasoning. "We have no idea if Sha're will be with us for the long-term. A lot is going to depend on our study of the cylinder."

Jack nodded, understanding. "I'm sure they're aware of that, too."

With another quiet sigh, Sam buried her face in Jack's neck. Tenderly kissing the warm skin of his throat, she ran one hand gently along the line of his chin. "I'm sure you're right," she agreed. Then, after a moment, she pulled away and looked her husband in the eye. "Jack?" she asked softly.

"Yes?" he replied, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile.

"How long do you think we have before one of the twins wakes up?" The tone of her question left little doubt as to what she was _really_ asking.

His smile turning devilish, Jack quickly repeated his earlier maneuver and pressed Sam back into their comfortable bed, uttering a reply which set her heart racing.

"Long enough."


	16. Security Risks

A/N: Good grief, what I wouldn't give for a week off in the Bahamas with no one for company except my laptop… (And what does it say about my life that my tropical vacation fantasy does not involve either my husband or Richard Dean Anderson?)

I definitely have issues, yes?

Since twin toddlers, grad school, a full-time job, and a hubby who works second shift aren't enough of a challenge for me, I've decided (with all of my spare time) to buy a house. Buying/selling/moving/financing/etc, would be bad enough, but the new house – decorated entirely in circa 1965 décor – needs repainting and new floors. The old house, showing the wear-and-tear of 2-year-old twins, also needs repainting and, if we expect to sell it, a new roof. Since money is _always_ an object, we'll be up to our ears in do-it-yourself projects for at least 2 months. _Sigh._

Either I'm very ambitious or I have a death wish. I'll let you know which in June.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Meatier and less fluffy, as promised. I know it's short, but at least it's something!

* * *

Chapter 16

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't toss his ass off my base," Jack snapped angrily as he walked down one of the SGC's main corridors.

Sam, nearly jogging to keep pace with her agitated husband, spoke with a combination of affection and exasperation. "It's not worth the headache," Sam said reasonably. "Let him insult us for a few hours and _then_ kick him out. It makes him feel like he's accomplished something, which means it might be a while before he comes back."

Not looking any happier, Jack muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Then, stopping mid-stride, he exhaled sharply. "Damn."

Sam almost tripped over her own feet as she struggled to keep pace with her husband. "What?"

Jack shook his head. "I just remembered something."

Not particularly comforted by the reluctant note in his voice, Sam repeated herself. "_What?_"

"Woolsey left me a voice mail last week about some stupid mission SG-10 went on a month ago. He had an idiotic question about… I don't know. Resource allocation? It was something utterly stupid." Jack exhaled sharply, frustration evident in his every movement.

Sam examined him calmly. "And you blew him off." It was a statement, not a question.

He shrugged, not looking particularly remorseful. "I always blow him off, Carter."

Spearing him with a withering gaze, Sam shook her head. "Just another one of your bad habits," she muttered darkly. "Kind of like calling your wife by her maiden name."

At that, Jack grinned widely. "Aw, c'mon, _Carter_. Admit it, you'd be worried if I ever called you anything else."

Sam sighed. "Probably. But none of this helps us get rid of Woolsey any faster."

Grimacing, Jack set his shoulders and started walking again. "Might as well see what he's got his undies in a bind about this time," he mumbled.

The pair walked swiftly down the corridor and up the steps to the main conference room. Stepping past the MP posted at the door, Jack felt his hackles rise at the sight of the self-righteous attorney sitting stiffly behind the table.

"It's been _four months_ since that woman started making forays off the base," Woolsey was saying sharply. "Every time she sets foot outside of this mountain, she puts the entire world at risk. We have no idea what sort of diseases she might be carrying, not to mention the psychological programming she might have in her subconscious mind. It must stop. _Now._"

Across the table from Woolsey, Daniel and Teal'c sat with rigid stillness. Daniel, for his part, looked like steam might start pouring from his ears at any moment. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off before he had the chance to utter a sound.

"Glad to see I got here in time for the pleasantries," he said with deceptive mildness. "Next time, Woolsey, I'd appreciate a few hours notice before you just drop in. We _do_ have work to do around here. It's damned inconvenient to run to your beck and call every time you decide you have issues to discuss."

Woolsey didn't look remotely affected by Jack's speech. "Inconvenient, General?" He glared with unabashed dislike in his eyes. "What's _inconvenient_ is placing phone call after phone call to your office and never getting a single response. Perhaps I _would_ give you notice of my visits if I could ever get you on the phone."

Jack, refusing to be baited, just shrugged. "Like I said, _Dick_, we've got work to do around here. That makes us hard to get in touch with sometimes."

Pursing his lips angrily, Woolsey ignored the insult. "Funny, but whenever I drop in, I see a decided lack of work going on." Turning to Daniel, he directed his next comments at the archaeologist. "Some of us are too busy pretending we're at the senior prom to think about serious government business."

Daniel's face darkened dangerously. Again, he opened his mouth to defend himself but was this time cut off by Sam.

"Daniel is working with our base physician on triggering Sha're's extra-dimensional memories. Memories," she added pointedly, "that might be extremely useful to our defense of this planet."

Woolsey slowly turned his attention to Sam. "Naturally you'd defend him," he stated matter-of-factly. "You've turned this assignment into a girls' slumber party." Picking up a file folder in front of him, he opened it up and read from one of the papers inside. "Quote: 'Colonel O'Neill and Sha're left the base today for the local shopping mall. In addition to lunch and shopping, the Colonel took the off-worlder for a _manicure_.' End quote." Staring venomously at Sam, he spoke with cold fury. "This is how taxpayer dollars are spent?"

Reddening, Sam returned his glare with one of her own. "If you keep reading your report, you'll see that _I_ paid for the lunch, shopping, _and_ the manicure. Furthermore, I was off-duty when the outing took place." Leaning forward, she bit off her next words distinctly. "You have _no_ jurisdiction over my personal time."

Woolsey looked a bit put-off by her remarks, but didn't let up. "Be that as it may, none of you has been able to address the hazards this woman poses to our planet. She should not be allowed out of her room, much less out of this base!"

Daniel slammed his fist on the table, unwilling to be interrupted this time. "Sha're is a _person_, not a house plant," he said vehemently. "You can't just shut her in a cell, especially when we have absolutely no idea if we can send her home. She could be here for the rest of her life. She shouldn't have to sped that time as a prisoner!"

Woolsey cocked an eyebrow. "And why not?" he asked heatedly. "She is an _alien_, Doctor! And she poses a serious risk to the citizens of this planet. I think locking her in a cell is _exactly_ what we should do. Might I remind you that the last time we had contact with this woman, she carried a Goa'uld symbiote in her body and was more than willing to destroy Earth and everything on it?"

Clenching his jaw, Daniel spoke through gritted teeth. "She's not carrying a symbiote _now_."

Woolsey scoffed. "And that's supposed to make me feel better? Who knows what the Goa'uld did to her? She could be waiting for the perfect moment to unleash absolute chaos on this planet. And all we're doing is helping her!"

Jack raised his hand abruptly. "As much fun as this is, I think we've heard enough." Spearing the lawyer with his best Air Force General look, he spoke evenly. "Do you have an order from the president to discontinue our present course of action concerning Sha're?"

Glowering, Woolsey met Jack's eyes without flinching. "No."

A smile crept onto Jack's face as he slowly wiggled the fingers on his raised hand in an undeniable gesture of 'goodbye.' Enjoying the dark glare that the lawyer directed at him, Jack spoke with exaggerated pleasantness. "So long, _Dick_. Nice seeing you again." As the angry man pushed his chair away from the conference table, he snatched his folders up with unnecessary force and marched out of the room.

Jack watched Woolsey's stiff form stride past the MPs in the doorway. "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out," he called out gleefully. Then, turning back to his companions, he muttered, "Asshole."

Sam, who'd been standing during the entire exchange, slowly sank into one of the conference chairs. "That was unpleasant," she said, sounding tired.

Daniel glared at the doorway. "Oh, I don't know," he growled, "I can think of a few ways of making his next visit here significantly _less_ pleasant."

Jack raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Daniel to get violent. "What, like sending him to Doc Brightman for an enema?"

Daniel looked up with interest. "That's much better than anything I was planning," he said, sounding almost serious.

Sam rolled her eyes. "We can brainstorm lots of torture methods for Mr. Woolsey later on. Right now we need to figure out how to protect Sha're from him." Wincing, she looked at her husband. "Seeing how Jack practically _dared_ him to get a presidential order, we'd better come up with a good defense of our plan."

Daniel stared ahead mulishly. "Our plan is perfectly sound, Sam. He's got nothing."

Reaching over, Sam patted Daniel gently on the hand. "Of course I think our plan is sound," she said reassuringly. "But I also think we need to anticipate his next move."

Across the table, Jack nodded. "I agree. He's gonna come up with something awful. We might as well try to nip it in the bud."

Sam looked thoughtfully into space. "He's going to play up the security risk," she mumbled absently.

Daniel shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time we've let off-worlders out of the base. There's Cassie," he said, ticking off a finger, "and Teal'c, of course." He paused a moment, thinking. "And I'm not sure if Jacob really counts, since he's technically a citizen of Earth, but he's at least part alien," he added, raising two more fingers.

Teal'c smiled faintly. "Somehow, Daniel Jackson, I believe that Mr. Woolsey would gladly lock all three of us in cells for the rest of our lives if given a chance."

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Daniel agreed. "Of that I have no doubt."

Suddenly, Sam's eyes brightened. "That's it! When Woolsey brings this before the president, we need to make him look like an irrational fanatic. If we can get him to say something ridiculous and xenophobic, he'll lose major credibility points with the joint chiefs."

Jack seemed to ponder his wife's statement for a moment. "That just might work," he said slowly. "I'll see if I can call in a few favors and make him look like an idiot. Not that he needs any help," he added with a smirk.

Daniel seemed to relax a bit. "We can't let them lock her in a room," he said quietly.

Sam squeezed his hand. She could clearly see the torment in his eyes and her heart ached for him. Despite their best efforts, Sha're's memories and their own research of the device had slowed to a trickle. It was nearly unbearable. She and Jack had spent the last two months watching the couple with a sense of abject helplessness. Anyone with eyes could see the unresolved emotions between Daniel and his former wife, but there was simply no way to remedy the situation. More answers about the device were needed before Daniel and Sha're could begin making decisions about their future. Thinking that Sha're might end up a prisoner of the SGC for any part of that future was somewhat nauseating to Sam. Meeting Daniel's troubled gaze, she spoke with firm conviction. "Of course we won't let them lock her up. She's my friend, too."

Her words hung in the air for a moment as all four members of SG-1 contemplated the gravity of the situation. Then, quietly, Teal'c cleared his throat.

"O'Neill," he asked curiously, "What is an enema?"


	17. Rebirth

A/N: I'm here! I'm alive! I'm still breathing! And, finally, some great news from my crazy part of the world. We're closing on our new house (house #2 in this process; we gave up on the first one!) on Friday knock on wood! Better yet, I got a job offer from my first-choice school next year… The benefits and pay are truly awesome. It's been one hell of an uphill climb for me over the past 2 years, but it's finally paying off. To all who've provided feedback and support as I decompressed through my fanfic habit, you'll never know how much it's meant having you in my corner. You've all kept me sane!

In that spirit, I think I'm ready to slam out the end of this story and the entire _Reap_ trilogy. Look for the last third of this story in the next few weeks. I'm ready to rock and roll!

* * *

Chapter 17

Breathing the sweet, subtle fragrance of roses and freshly mowed grass, Sam closed her eyes and savored the warm touch of sunlight on her face. A light, late summer breeze ruffled her short hair and tugged on her dress blues. It was nearly midday and Sam knew she couldn't linger here long, but this was something she'd been meaning to do for a while. A few more minutes wouldn't put her far behind schedule.

Sneaking out of the SGC hadn't been an easy task. While Jack may have been somewhat relaxed in his running of the base, there were things he _always_ paid attention to. The whereabouts of his wife, naturally, was at the top of that list. Still, when Sam had gotten up that morning, she knew this particular day would be a good time to take care of some unfinished business. She'd left a quick note informing Jack she was running an errand and would return by dinner. Then, with the help of a few favors, she grabbed an Asgard transport device and had made her way first to a nearby military base and then, via car, to this sunny hillside.

The field which surrounded her was both peaceful and horrifying, amazing in its beauty and awesome in its emotional power. There was no other place on Earth like it. It was, quite simply, hallowed ground. Thousands of nearly identical white marble headstones set with military precision dotted the landscape in a scene unforgettable to any who witnessed it firsthand.

It was even more profound for those who'd buried loved ones here.

One year ago, Sam had been eagerly putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, worried that her swollen ankles would interfere with her choice of wedding shoes. The twins had bumped and kicked happily in her abdomen, seemingly aware of their mother's joy. Everything had been perfect – until the moment Daniel had interrupted her blissful preparations with the news which would knock her world off its axis.

The horrifying weeks which had followed that revelation were now permanently etched in her brain. Sam's grief had grown into a living entity, clinging to her with jagged claws and refusing to relinquish control for even a moment. She'd fought a desperate war against that monster, needing to be strong for her unborn children but nearly overwhelmed with her despair. It had been hell on earth.

This place, deceptively calm and silent, had been the site of her greatest battle with her grief. The glorious setting and her desperate emptiness had been utterly incongruous, making Jack's funeral surreal and distant. In her mind, the day was shrouded in a fog of emotional turmoil except for one, crystal-clear memory. "_On behalf of the President of the United States, the Department of the Air Force, and a grateful nation, we offer this flag for the faithful and dedicated service of Brigadier General Jonathan J. O'Neill."_ General Hammond's voice had been thick with emotion, but his hands had been steady as they'd handed her a perfectly folded American flag. In that instant, reality had sunk in. Sam would never see her beloved Jack again.

As she pulled her mind back from that terrible day, Sam was surprised to feel moisture on her cheeks. It had been many months since she'd shed tears over last year's trauma. Jack's miraculous return had almost completely wiped away the lingering darkness of those horrible weeks.

Almost.

Swiping a hand across her cheeks, Sam knelt on the soft grass and tenderly laid one hand on the ground. Then, looking skyward, she took a deep breath and spoke her mind. "I know I don't talk to you a lot," she whispered, "but you've given me lots of reasons to be angry. First Mom, then Janet…" Sam swallowed a lump in her throat. "You've taken some pretty amazing people away from me." Pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes and focused on the warm sunshine. "When I thought you'd taken Jack, too… I think I hated you." Opening her eyes, she frowned slightly. "I know death is part of your plan. And I know you need to make the tough calls. But knowing that and feeling that are two different things."

As the breeze once again tickled the back of her neck, Sam sagged slightly. "A year ago, I wanted to crawl into this ground with him. I stood right here, on this hillside, begging you to make the pain stop. I had no idea how I'd go on without him. I thought you'd taken my world away." Tears once again streaming down her face, she shook her head in awe. "But then you gave it all back."

Sam's blue eyes swept over the rows of perfectly positioned headstones. Ahead of her, behind her, to her left, and to her right, snowy white grave markers dotted the green grass in a precisely regular pattern. There was only one area – the space directly below her hand – which stood out in this symmetrical matrix of memorials. One lone plot, no longer marked with a headstone, gave testament to her personal miracle.

"I have no idea what I did to deserve the incredible gift you gave me. I'm not perfect and I'm not a saint. I try to live my life in an honorable way, but I know I've made plenty of mistakes. And yet, for some reason, you decided to give me this miraculous second chance with my husband and children. I truly don't know why I was chosen for this. But I couldn't possibly live with myself if I didn't say 'thank you.'" Sam's throat tightened with emotion as she continued. "Jack and I are just people. We can't fix everything. But I promise you, every day you give us together, we'll work on making this world a better place. I know we won't always succeed, but we'll always try." She smiled slightly. "We never talk about it, but we both feel an obligation to give as much of ourselves as we can to our family and our work, especially since the accident. We both just _know_ that we've been given something precious. Neither of us is going to waste that gift. So, again, _thank you_." She looked into the endless blue sky and smiled serenely. "I couldn't ask for more."

As her final soft words of gratitude floated heavenward, the sun hit its noontime apex, spilling warm golden radiance onto the hallowed cemetery. Sam shifted her weight, preparing to stand up and return to her car, when suddenly the earth stopped.

With the force of a locomotive, Sam's mind was rocked by a tidal wave of memories. Waking up in Jack's sleeping bag, heated and forbidden kisses, Jack's narcotic-induced inebriation and uninhibited passion, the constant interruptions from the radios, a second release of energy more powerful than the volcano, days of bittersweet lovemaking, soft confessions of love, a meeting with Thor, and the heartbreaking decision to put their relationship aside… It was as if a veil had lifted from Sam's mind, and she was suddenly able to remember an entire hidden chapter of her life. "My God," she breathed. "We gave it all up." Choking back a sob of overwhelming emotion, she raised one shaking hand to her face. Trying to get a handle on what was happening, she searched her mind for the reason behind this sudden revelation.

"_It is possible, when removing memories, to build in a failsafe of sorts, ensuring their return if certain conditions are met." Glancing from Jack to Sam, Thor paused to make sure they understood his words. "I could program my device to give you back those memories should one of you experience the death of the other."_

Of course. Sam took a shuddering breath and tried to compose herself. She understood now that Jack really _had _died a year ago. The Jack waiting for her back under Cheyenne Mountain was a replacement of sorts, pulled millions of light years through space and a few microseconds through time to fill the void left by the Jack who'd been vaporized on the stones of the Ancient device. Naturally, Thor's failsafe would have kicked in and returned the memories of those lost weeks to her.

Blinking, Sam suddenly jumped to her feet. In her life and memories, Jack had been dead for a few, terrible weeks. However, she had not been dead to him at all. She needed to get back to the SGC as soon as possible. If her husband _was_ remembering all their experiences from the volcanic planet, she wanted to be there with him. And if he was not… She paused. If Jack wasn't able to remember their first, precious moments together as a couple, she wasn't sure what she'd do. It hardly seemed fair to share her own memories if he was never going to remember them. And yet, she didn't think she could keep this to herself forever.

_Thor fixed them with his unblinking alien stare. "Please think about other safeguards you'd like instituted. The more comfort you feel with the terms of this procedure, the more successful it will be."_

"_Then I want to remember everything in the event that we ever got married to each other." Sam spoke in a rush, not looking at Jack. They'd never discussed marriage, so she felt a little awkward about bringing it up here, but it was important to her. "You could put it on that time delay, so we'd have a year to get settled. But, if we were together anyway, I'd really want to know how we'd first fallen in love."_

Smiling as that particular memory unfolded, Sam relaxed slightly. Their anniversary was just a few months away. If Jack hadn't been struck with these recollections today, she could certainly wait for him to catch up.

* * *

Jack sat at his desk, playing solitaire on his laptop. He'd managed to clear his afternoon appointments and contract Grandpa Jacob for babysitting duty. As soon as Sam returned from her errands, he was going to knock her off her feet with his surprise.

A quiet knock on his door had him quickly hiding the game on his screen. "It's open," he called out.

The door swung in to reveal Sam standing in slightly disheveled dress blues. She looked out of breath and had slightly puffy eyes. Instantly, he was on his feet. "Are you okay?"

Seeing her husband behind his desk, casually going about his work – or lack of it – had sparked an unbelievably warm glow in Sam's soul. Swallowing more tears, she nodded. "I'm actually really great," she said hoarsely.

Walking over to her, Jack brushed a finger over her cheek. His brown eyes locked with hers, washing away the last remnants of sorrow in her heart. "I think I understand," he said quietly. "I remembered something important earlier today."

"You did?" Sam was surprised. On her way back to the SGC, she'd decided Jack was not likely to have experienced the same rush of memories she had today. The timing was simply not correct. Though she'd examined the situation from many angles, Sam had repeatedly drawn the same conclusion. She was sure her husband would remain unaware of their earlier relationship until their first anniversary. In light of this certainty, his words were somewhat startling to her.

Jack nodded. Turning around, he reached behind his desk and pulled out a single, long-stemmed red rose. "This was supposed to be our anniversary," he said solemnly, handing her the flower. "I know this must be a really hard day for you." His words were simple, but his eyes spoke of understanding. Without words, he expressed his comfort and love for her.

Cradling the flower tenderly, Sam smiled up at her husband. "In some ways it was very difficult. But in other ways, today was unbelievably perfect."

Warmed by her brilliant smile, Jack leaned over and brushed a kiss on her mouth. "I just wanted you to know I hadn't forgotten." Then, with a devilish gleam in his eye, he drew her close to him. "I've even arranged for the two of us to spend an entire, uninterrupted evening together. No SGC. No twins. No worries. Sound good?"

Sam sighed and snuggled up against him. "That sounds _divine._"

"Excellent," he replied. "If you want to go change, I'll wait." Then, as if her appearance was finally sinking in, Jack pulled away and looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What's with the dress blues?"

Sam shrugged. "I went to Arlington." The single sentence conveyed a mountain of meaning.

Jack's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me? I'd have come with you." He looked at her intensely.

"I know you would have," she said softly. "But it was something I had to do myself."

Still examining her with tender concern, Jack nodded. "I understand." Grief was something Jack was all too familiar with. If anyone understood the scars left by losing a loved one, it was him. Squeezing her gently, he tried to lend his support in any way he could. "So, is everything okay?"

Sam smiled radiantly. "Everything is wonderful." The memories of their time together on the volcanic planet had filled a void in herself that she hadn't even been aware of. With a sudden giggle, Sam kissed her husband soundly on the mouth. "In fact, I now know what you're getting for our anniversary."

Jack put an arm around her and walked her toward the door. "Is it something good?" he asked teasingly.

With a knowing twinkle in her eyes, Sam spoke confidently. "Trust me. You're not going to know what hit you."

* * *

Daniel rushed down the corridor toward Jack's office, lost in a haze of concern and anxiety. He was so wrapped up in his troubled thoughts that he nearly plowed over Sergeant Harriman, who was walking in the opposite direction. The near miss caused the sergeant to drop a folder of papers onto the floor.

"Oh! Sorry, Walter." Daniel bent to help the man collect the documents. "I was just going to see Jack."

Sergeant Harriman looked surprised. "You'd better hurry, then. He and Colonel O'Neill are taking the afternoon off."

Now it was Daniel's turn to look surprised. Things on base had been pretty hectic since Woolsey's last visit. It seemed an unusual time for Sam and Jack to take a vacation day. "Really?"

Walter nodded. "Well, you know," he said quietly, looking around to be sure no one else was nearby, "today is a year after their _first_ wedding date." His words were discreet, but filled with a much fuller meaning.

Suddenly, Daniel felt like a total heel. _Of_ _course_. A year ago, he'd broken news of Jack's death to Sam on her wedding day. How on _earth_ could he have forgotten? "Oh my gosh," he mumbled, "you're absolutely right."

Sergeant Harriman pointed down the hallway. "I think they're still in his office, Doctor Jackson. If you move quickly, you can still catch them."

Daniel handed the last paper to Walter and shook his head. "That's okay," he said quietly. "I can wait until tomorrow." Bidding the sergeant goodbye, he slowly stood up and walked back towards his quarters.

Heart heavy, Daniel contemplated the disturbing events of the morning. It would have done him a world of good to share his troubles with his friends, but Teal'c was visiting Bra'tac and he simply couldn't interrupt Sam and Jack's precious moments alone. Sighing, he resigned himself to the words he'd just spoken to Walter.

It would have to wait until tomorrow.


	18. Light Dawns

A/N: Please don't hate me. I know I said the rest of this was ready to roll out within a few weeks of my last chapter. And, truly, it was. But, as per Murphy's Law, life just got in the way.

I am pleased, however, to announce something very important to me – and to any of you who want to see me write more fanfiction in the near future…

**_I AM OFFICIALLY FINISHED WITH MY MASTER'S DEGREE!_**

Finished! In the bag! SOMEONE STICK A FORK IN ME, I'M **DONE!**

WOO-HOO!

And if I ever start talking about a Ph.D., you all have permission to virtually btch-slap me until I come to my senses.

As for this story, I really, really promise, I'm going to finish it right away. Really! No more excuses! The new house is unpacked, the old one is on the market, my master's is wrapped up, and my twins start half-day preschool in a week.

And in less than seven days, General Jack O'Neill returns to my living room in all his gorgeous, sarcastic glory.

How much cooler could this be?

Oh, and, it's my birthday! So, happy birthday, me!

Again, sorry for the delay, and immense thanks for your patience.

* * *

Chapter 18 

Stretched out on the king-sized bed he shared with Sam, Jack drowsily listened to the slow, steady rhythm of his wife's breathing. The first blush of morning sunlight was beginning to trickle between the slats covering their bedroom window. On any other day, he'd probably be getting out of bed to diaper and feed a baby or two. Today, however, his two tiny tyrants were undoubtedly bullying their Grandpa Jacob into getting their breakfast.

Smiling at that particular image, Jack lazily enjoyed the complete peace of this moment. Little in his life had ever been peaceful, particularly since Charlie's death. A combination of emotional upheavals and the constant threat of apocalyptic disaster had made the past decade one giant rollercoaster. A quiet moment like this was, by comparison, a small piece of heaven.

Feeling Sam's body tucked snugly up against his, Jack once again marveled at the turn his life had taken. Not terribly long ago, he'd adored the amazing woman beside him from afar – though, admittedly not _too_ far. Working with her so closely had been exquisite torture. She'd continually astonished him with her sheer brilliance, but it had been her courage and strength of character which had finally cracked the impenetrable fortress he'd built around his heart. At the time, he'd found the situation bitterly ironic. Fate had managed to find the only woman in the entire universe capable of melting his defenses and had then ensured he could never actually _have_ her.

The soft flutter of her warm breath tickled his chest, making him smile. In retrospect, he found it impossible to remain bitter about those early years. Somehow, he knew that the monumental strain of repressing those feelings for so long had only made their eventual happy ending that much sweeter. One tended to value something that one had worked so incredibly hard for. Heaven knew he'd never take his wife and family for granted. He knew all too well that life was fleeting – particularly in their line of work – and he was determined to value every precious second of this dream he'd somehow come to live in.

Pushing those dark thoughts away, Jack shifted slightly and drew Sam even closer to him, nuzzling her neck with a series of soft kisses. Within seconds, he was rewarded with a warm, sensual sound from his drowsy wife. Pulling away slightly, he gazed at her soft, delicate features and waited for his favorite moment of the day.

Brighter than the morning sunshine, Sam's intensely blue eyes fluttered open and fixed upon her husband's familiar features. Roughened by a five o'clock shadow, his face was a study in planes and angles. She didn't think she'd ever tire of waking to his warm, intense gaze. Suppressing a lazy yawn, Sam smiled contentedly. "How do you do that?" she asked on a sigh.

Jack studied her intently, reaching up to brush a stray blond lock from her forehead. "How do I do what?"

"Wake me up so pleasantly?" She placed a gentle kiss on his sculpted lips. "My alarm clock usually just gets hurled across the room. Somehow, though, I never have that urge when you do the honors."

He grinned. "No offense, Carter, but I doubt you'd be able to toss me across the room, even if you tried."

Spearing him with a dark look, she exhaled impatiently. "Keep calling me Carter and you might find out if you're wrong about that."

Jack just laughed. "Admit it. You don't _really_ mind it when I call you 'Carter.'" Seeing her doubtful expression, he continued. "Tell me it doesn't remind you of all those repressed… you know… _feelings_ we had for all those years."

Sam stifled a snort. "And that's supposed to be a _good_ thing?"

He looked into her blue eyes with a warm smile. "Yeah. Because it reminds you how far we've come."

Abruptly, Sam felt a lump of emotion fill her throat. Her husband didn't get sentimental very often, but when he did, he certainly made it memorable. She smiled back at him, somewhat tearfully, and gently kissed him again. "Well, when you put it that way…"

He chuckled. "Besides which, I've been calling you Carter for so long now, I'm sure it would take me another seven or eight years to change the habit."

Sam rolled her eyes. "How hard can it be to remember? After all, 'O'Neill' is _your_ name!"

Jack just shrugged. "Yeah. But it suits me better than it suits you."

She shook her head. "I'm sure I don't want to know what you mean by that."

He didn't disappoint her. "It's just… a _manly_ name."

Sam ran a hand down her face in exasperation. "Great. My husband thinks I have a manly last name."

The boyish grin never left Jack's features. "Another good reason to keep calling you Carter."

"I liked your first reason better," she said, returning his teasing smile with one of her own.

Jack suddenly made a point of examining his wife and her surroundings from head to toe. "Seems to me," he said impishly, "we're doing far too much talking, given our present surroundings."

Sam laughed out loud. "Well we can't have that, can we?"

Just as Jack's lips descended toward his wife's eagerly awaiting mouth, the jarring sound of the telephone interrupted their intimate reverie. Instantly, both seasoned SGC veterans froze.

Looking her husband in the eye, Sam sighed. "We should get that."

Jack nodded regretfully. "Yeah. I know." Rolling onto his back, he flung an arm toward the nightstand. "One of these days, we're _really_ going to get a vacation."

Sam chuckled. "I wouldn't hold my breath."

With one, last, longing look at his adorably disheveled wife, Jack picked up the phone. "O'Neill" he barked impatiently.

Sam watched with a growing sense of unease as her husband's face clouded over. After a few moments, he exhaled sharply. "Yeah, we'll be right in. Call me on my cell if anything changes." Hanging up the phone, Jack pushed himself into a sitting position and turned his attention to Sam. His next words caused a wave of dread to roll over her, knotting her stomach instantly.

"It's Sha're," he said grimy. "She's unconscious."

* * *

Daniel stalked the length of the infirmary, nervously ruffling his short, sandy brown hair. Silently cursing himself for ignoring his gut instincts, he avoided looking at the still, pale figure on the cot in the center of the room. The quiet tones of medical devices steadily filled the otherwise silent space, both reassuring Daniel with their constant presence, and disturbing him with their complete lack of change. 

When the door to the room quietly opened, Daniel abruptly spun to face the entrance. He relaxed slightly when he saw Sam's worried face timidly poking through the doorway. "Can we come in?" she asked softly.

Daniel nodded, sagging slightly with exhaustion. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed moral support. "Please," he murmured gratefully. "I'm glad you came. She's been unconscious for four about hours."

Stepping quietly into the room, Sam and Jack both paused in surprise. Looking quickly at his wife, Jack turned to Daniel with an apologetic look. "We'd have been here sooner if we'd known. Walter only called us less than an hour ago."

Daniel smiled faintly. "I know," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. "I told him to wait until a decent hour before calling you. You guys deserved a night off. Besides," he shrugged, "there's not much you can do here."

Sam's eyes shone with regret. "Daniel, you should have called sooner. We might not be able to do anything for Sha're, but we could have been here for you." She quickly covered the length of the room and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Jack nodded in agreement. Looking at the unmoving figure on the bed, he exhaled slowly. "What happened?"

With the arrival of his teammates, Daniel suddenly felt the weight of his emotions bearing down on him. He almost felt as though he no longer needed to be a pillar of strength. He knew his friends would carry any burdens he couldn't. In three staggering steps, he crossed to a dented plastic chair and sank into it heavily. "We had dinner last night," he recalled, staring into space. "I could tell something wasn't quite right, but she didn't want to talk about it. When I walked her back to her quarters, she suddenly got confused." He rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. "She was speaking in her native tongue, and didn't seem to know where she was. That seemed to last for a minute or two, when she just…" he shrugged, "snapped out of it. She said she had a headache, but wouldn't let me call Dr. Brightman. She said she just needed to rest." Pulling himself back to the present, Daniel looked at his friends. "I was worried, but decided to let it go." He shook his head miserably. "I wanted her to trust me."

Sam found another chair and pulled it beside Daniel's. "She _does_ trust you." Gently, she reached over and took his hand in hers.

Daniel grimaced. "I should have insisted on bringing her here immediately. By the time I decided to check on her, she could have been unconscious for hours."

Jack sent his friend a look of solemn understanding. "Maybe," he acknowledged quietly. "But even if you had brought her here right away, there's no guarantee Doc Brightman could have done anything to help her."

Daniel shrugged despondently. "I guess we'll never know."

Sam squeezed his cool hand and speared him with a determined look. "Whatever is wrong, we'll figure it out. Since all her other tests have come back normal, we'll have to assume this has something to do with the stone ring device that brought her here." Suddenly, Sam darted a look at her husband. "I don't suppose you have any flashes of psychic insight you'd like to offer?"

Jack opened his mouth to fire back a retort, when he swiftly shut it again, a look of surprise on his face. "Actually," he said, sounding incredulous, "I think I do."

Daniel and Sam exchanged startled looks. "Well, go ahead," Sam said with an uncertain glance at her husband.

Wrinkling his brow in concentration, Jack took a slow breath. "I'm guessing it's something like that… ecto… ergo…" He tapped his fingertips on his forehead. "Endo… Oh, for cryin' out loud." He looked imploringly at Sam. "Help me out here."

She just stared at him blankly. "Sorry, sweetheart. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Jack waved a hand impatiently. "Come on, you remember. That weird shaking thing that happened when the other you came here from another dimension."

Suddenly, understanding dawned on Sam's face. "Oh! Entropic cascade failure." Then, just as quickly, a dark look passed over her features. Remembering the intimate embrace between her husband and her alternate self still didn't sit well, even years later. At the time, it had been a double jolt of unpleasant reality. First of all, she'd been forced to acknowledge the deep, undeniable feelings she'd been having for her CO. It had been impossible to reject that reality when faced with the painful jolt of stabbing jealousy she'd felt as she'd watched him embrace another woman. But, secondly, she'd also realized that, under a different set of circumstances, she and Jack might have been soul mates. The attraction he'd shown for someone who was essentially _her_ was undeniable. As was the deep, abiding love her alternate self had clearly expressed for Jack. It had been the first time she'd truly realized what her career had stolen from her.

Swallowing those dark emotions, Sam cleared her throat. "But, Jack, entropic cascade failure won't happen to Sha're. There's only one of her in this reality."

Jack watched the play of emotions on his wife's face and instantly regretted having to bring up his encounter with her alternate self. Though they'd never really spoken of it, he knew it made her uncomfortable. Emotional sensitivity _really_ wasn't his forte. "I know," he said, trying to stick with the change of subject. "But I feel like this has something to do with her ability to recall both sets of memories."

Daniel blinked. "But we still don't know how she does that. We're assuming it has something to do with the cylinder we found in the stone ring, but we still haven't a clue how it works."

Sam looked intently at her husband. "Maybe that's because we haven't been using the correct tools to study it."

Jack regarded her with a puzzled expression. "I don't know, Sam. You and Daniel have done just about everything but take a crowbar to that contraption. I'm not sure what else you could do."

She just smiled. "You just said it yourself. _Me and Daniel_ have tried everything we could think of to research the device." Turning to the archaeologist, she could see he understood what she was getting at.

Jack, on the other hand, was still clueless. "Well, who else do you want looking at it? Say the word, and I'll have them flown in today."

Sam chuckled. "No flight necessary, Jack. Our expert is already here." Looking at Daniel, she saw a glint of hope in his eyes, and felt a similar flash in her own heart. Turning back to her husband, she stifled a smile at the familiar, would-someone-please-tell-me-what-the-hell is-going-on look on his rugged features. "I just realized that there's someone here who apparently knows more about this device than all of us put together. In fact, I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner."

Jack made a noise of sheer exasperation. "Okay. Mind telling me who this genius is?"

Daniel glanced at Sam before replying, feeling better than he had in hours.

"You, Jack."


	19. Revelations

A/N: Yee-haw, it's damn good to be back in the saddle. Oh, how I've missed my fanfic habit! Thanks for the reviews and congratulations. And now, as promised, on with the show!

* * *

"Carter, I know you're brilliant and all, but this has got to be one of the _dumbest_ ideas I've ever heard." Walking beside his wife in one of the SGC's central corridors, Jack took a moment to stare meaningfully into her lovely, sparkling gaze. "And, as you're well aware, I'm no stranger to dumb ideas."

Sam just smiled affectionately, completely unfazed by his blunt assessment. "Yes, dear. I'm quite familiar with your expertise in that area."

Jack opened his mouth and then quickly closed it again, apparently unsure whether to be reassured or offended by Sam's comment. "Well, okay," he said after a moment. "Just so we're clear on that."

Leaning forward, Sam planted a soft kiss on her husband's cheek. "Crystal clear," she replied. Then, without skipping a beat, she smiled brilliantly. "But you're still going to have a look at the cylinder."

As the rounded a corner, the doorway to Sam's lab came into view. Sighing heavily, Jack kept pace beside his wife in spite of his reservations. "I'll look at it," he agreed skeptically, "but I'm not sure how much good it'll do. If you and Daniel haven't figured out how the damn thing works, I have no idea what you expect _me_ to come up with."

Stepping into the laboratory that she used to call a second home, Sam just smiled benignly and waited for Jack to follow. Once he'd crossed to the cluttered workbench in the center of the room, she quietly closed the door and turned to face him. "Jack," she said gently, "give yourself some credit." Walking toward him, she allowed her affection for him to shine in her eyes. "You're not fooling me. We both know you're not half as clueless as you pretend to be." Seeing him open his mouth to reply, she held up a hand and continued speaking. "Besides which, you somehow have knowledge of this device that nobody else on this planet seems to have."

Jack shrugged. "Lucky guess."

Exhaling impatiently, Sam shook her head. "Nope. I'm not buying that, either. Last year, you knew exactly where to find the stone ring on P3X-812. And when we returned there after Sha're's appearance, you were able to remove that cylinder within seconds." Standing directly in front of him, she speared him with a no-nonsense look. "Might I remind you that in both cases, we had teams of experts working on the problem for weeks?"

Jack closed his eyes, hating what he was about to do, but feeling bound to do it all the same. "And, might _I_ remind _you_," he said quietly, "that one of those instances ended with my smoldering ashes being buried at Arlington?"

Sam jerked as if she'd been punched in the stomach. Sucking in a reflexive breath, she turned her head away to hide the pain she knew was painted on her features.

"Damn it, I'm sorry." Jack reached out and roughly pulled her into his arms. "I know how much it kills you to think about that, but I need you to understand why I think this might be a bad idea. I just feel like we should talk about _why_ I seem to have these strange, unexplainable abilities. Doesn't it seem a little weird to you?"

Suppressing a shudder, Sam took a moment to absorb the solid strength of his arms before once again meeting his gaze. "Of course it seems weird. But we're not exactly swimming in alternatives here." Looking somewhat defeated, she shrugged. "I just hate to think of what it will do to Daniel if we give up."

Jack brushed a lock of hair from her face. "I'm not saying that I shouldn't look at the cylinder. I just worry that your confidence in my mystic abilities might be overly optimistic."

She smiled faintly. "Maybe," she admitted. "But we won't know if you don't try."

Looking directly into her eyes, he forged ahead boldly. "And you're okay with the risks?"

Sam swallowed. "I'm not sure I've ever been 'okay' with the risks you take for this job." She shrugged. "As your wife, I absolutely hate it. But as an Air Force officer, I have to accept that it goes with the territory."

Jack sighed, wishing he had Daniel's diplomatic skills or Teal'c's wisdom. Lacking either, he made do with the only thing he could come up with. "I love you, Sam," he said gruffly. "And I saw what happened when I went back to 812 and pulled that cylinder out of the ring. You went totally out of your mind when you thought something might go wrong." Willing her to understand, he squeezed her gently. "I don't want to put you through that again. And the truth is, I have _no idea_ how I happen to know anything about that damned device." His dark eyes absorbed the pain that radiated from her with obvious regret. "When I said it was a lucky guess, I really wasn't kidding."

Sam returned his gaze steadily. "I know that," she replied quietly. "But, Jack, most of what we do at the SGC involves a whole lot of lucky guessing."

"True," Jack admitted. "I just don't want to leave you holding the bag if our luck runs out."

Sam drew her eyebrows together worriedly. "Do you have a bad feeling about this? Because, if you do, we're going to turn around right this minute and-"

Lifting a hand to her mouth, Jack silenced her with the gentle touch of one finger. "No, Sam. I feel perfectly capable of examining the cylinder. No dark premonitions or visions of dread." Tracing his fingertip along the smooth, pink line of her lip, he looked deeply into her eyes. "It's just…" He exhaled sharply and glanced away. "You aren't the only one with baggage from that whole ordeal last year," he admitted gruffly.

Sam reached up and captured his hand, brushing a soft kiss on it. There was a note of something deeper in her husband's voice. "What's bothering you, Jack?"

His dark brown eyes slowly made their way back to her sweetly familiar face. "Maybe it was the look on Daniel's face when he talked about his wife slipping into unconsciousness, or maybe it was hearing about your trip to Arlington. I really don't know. But I _do_ know that I suddenly can't erase the picture of you, eight months pregnant and wearing a wedding dress, being told by Daniel that I was killed in the line of duty." Even as the words left his mouth, Jack felt his throat close with emotion. "I hate that I put you through that, Sam," he rasped miserably.

Hearing the anguish in his voice, Sam leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "It wasn't your fault," she whispered soothingly. "And it all worked out in the long run."

Jack inhaled a shaky breath. "Be that as it may, I never want to hurt you that way again." Laughing humorlessly, he stared into space with a wry shake of his head. "It's funny how different this job looks when you have something to lose."

Sam regarded him perceptively. "Sweetheart, you're not going to lose me. Nor am I going to lose you." When his brown eyes finally returned to her face, she smiled affectionately. "I know you want to protect me from every horrible thing that this universe can dish out. But you can't do that. You couldn't do it as my CO, and you can't do it as my husband, either." She squeezed his hand. "Jack, If you have a legitimate concern for our safety, please feel free to act appropriately. But unless there's a real reason to be worried, you have to let us both do our jobs, risky as they might sometimes be."

Staring at her intently, he mustered a small, somewhat wistful smile. "I now understand why all those pesky fraternization rules were put into the UCMJ. You really do lose all perspective when the 'L' word is involved."

Sam returned his smile with a knowing one of her own. "Guess it's a good thing we never crossed that line out in the field, hey?" Thoughts of their moments together on the volcanic planet made her eyes sparkle. She knew he was still ignorant of their earlier lapse in protocol and couldn't help finding personal amusement at his expense.

Jack seemed to ponder her words. "I guess it was for the best. Even though I was _sorely_ tempted on many occasions." He grinned at her suggestively. "You're practically irresistible."

Raising her eyebrows, Sam appeared offended. "Only _practically_ irresistible?"

He paused. "Well, I did manage to fend you off for the better part of a decade."

Sam smiled impishly. "Yeah, but I had my way with you eventually."

"Only with the help of some fancy alien hormone potion," he retorted with a gleam in his eye. "And after that – since you were all knocked up anyway – I figured I might as well throw in the towel and marry you."

Aiming a forceful punch at her husband's middle, Sam made a noise of indignation. "Oh, is _that_ how it happened?" With a deceivingly bland smile, she looked into his dark eyes. "Then I suppose you won't mind if we went back to our old 'hands off' policy for a few weeks? Just to maintain the spirit of those pesky fraternization rules, of course. I wouldn't want to cloud your judgment while you made important military decisions."

Jack looked a bit panicked. Holding a hand up, he shook his head vehemently. "Um, I don't think that will be necessary, Colonel." He smiled contritely. "No need to be hasty."

Laughing wickedly, Sam leaned forward and kissed him softly on the mouth. "Just so we're clear on that whole issue of irresistibility."

He smiled as the sweet pressure of her lips intensified. "Perfectly clear," he murmured. "I'm sorry I ever implied otherwise."

After a long, sweet moment locked in her husband's embrace, Sam slowly pulled away. "Good," she said forcefully. "Now, let's go put your psychic powers to work."

* * *

Dozing fitfully in one of the infirmary's hard, plastic visitor chairs, Daniel suddenly found himself pulled awake by an unknown noise. Looking around the room, he blinked as he tried to shake his drowsy disorientation. The darkened room was now silent, except for the steady beeping of the medical equipment attached to his wife.

His wife.

Forcing himself into a state of total consciousness, Daniel tried – for perhaps the millionth time since her arrival – to remind himself that this Sha're was _not_ his wife. _His _wife was dead, taken hostage by an evil creature and killed as an innocent bystander during an attempt on his own life. He'd watched her life slip away, heard her last words of love as they floated away on her dying breath. He had seen the end of his beloved Sha're with his own two eyes.

And still, he couldn't quite make himself believe that the woman before him was anyone other than his wife.

Swallowing a lump of emotion, he leaned forward and examined the motionless figure on the hospital bed. Dark eyelashes gently fanned high, sculpted cheekbones. Ebony hair lay in stark contrast to the snowy-white pillowcase, bringing out the subtle olive tone of her flawless skin. Without thinking, Daniel reached forward and captured one of the dark locks between his thumb and forefinger. She was so incredibly lovely; it made his chest ache if he stared at her long enough. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and placed a soft, tender kiss on her forehead. "God, I love you," he whispered. Breathing deeply, he was struck by the familiar scent of her. "I don't think I can stand to lose you again." Concentrating on holding his emotions in check, he was about to lean back into his chair when he was stopped by an unexpected voice.

"My Daniel, I love you also. I will cling to this life with all my strength because I do not wish to lose you, either." Sha're's voice was quiet, but clear.

Daniel's eyes flew open in astonishment. Her nearly-black gaze met his steadily, unashamed of the emotions she shared. "You're…" He stumbled as he tried to formulate a coherent thought. "You're awake."

She smiled softly. "It would seem so." Reaching up, she gently placed a hand on his cheek and brushed her fingertips along the five-o'clock shadow that had begun to darken its surface. "How long did I sleep?"

Still flabbergasted by her apparent recovery, Daniel had to concentrate as he mentally ticked off the hours since Sam and Jack had left to work on the cylinder. "Almost a day," he replied weakly. "Are you feeling okay? Should I get Dr. Brightman? She'll need to check your vital-"

"In a moment, Daniel," Sha're interrupted gently. Lowering her eyes for a moment, she seemed to be gathering courage. When she again met his gaze, he could see the nervous apprehension on her features. "Did you mean what you said just now?"

Blinking, Daniel tried to remember what he'd just said. "About your being asleep for a day?" He looked utterly confused.

She smiled. "No, my Daniel. Before that."

Thinking back, he suddenly realized what she meant. "Oh!" Then, looking somewhat pole-axed, he exhaled slowly. "Sha're, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I have this whole…" he paused searching for the right word, "_ocean _of feelings for you, left over from our lives together in this universe. And I know it isn't fair to expect that you'll return those feelings, because… well, we've really just met. Which is why I didn't say anything before this-"

Sha're held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence. "Daniel, do you love me?" Staring at him intently, she seemed to hold her breath as she waited for his reply.

He wanted to explain himself further, but seeing her clear anxiety over his response, he simply nodded. "Yes." He smiled into her gleaming brown stare. "Yes, Sha're. In my heart, you are my wife." Turning his head slightly, he pressed a gentle kiss into the palm of her hand. "I love you very much. I can't help it."

Sha're closed her eyes for a moment, smiling serenely. When she reopened them, brilliant emotion poured from her like sunshine. "I am glad to hear it," she whispered. "I have felt the same way for many weeks now."

Daniel felt his jaw slacken with astonishment. "Sha're," he whispered, "why didn't you say something sooner?"

She laughed musically. "Because I was afraid you only felt pity and obligation for me and I did not want to burden you with my feelings."

Daniel shook his head. "Pity?" How could you ever possibly think-"

He never got a chance to finish his sentence, however, because his mouth was suddenly occupied in a much more pleasant fashion. Sha're's fingers had somehow managed to wind their way into his hair, giving her a firm grasp as she pulled his lips to hers. The first fraction of a second took him by surprise as the feel of her warm mouth sliced through him like a shot of hundred-proof whiskey. It only took heartbeats, however, for instinct and memory to take over. After the briefest of moments, the embrace exploded into a dizzying release of pent-up desires.

"Ah… maybe we should come back another time."

A familiar – and somewhat sheepish – voice from the doorway made both Daniel and Sha're freeze with surprise. The unexpected interruption sliced through most of the passion fogging his brain and allowed Daniel to recover his composure in a few quick seconds. Pulling gently away, he met Sha're's smoldering gaze for a moment before turning toward the infirmary's entrance.

Sam and Jack stood just inside the doorway, looking as flabbergasted as Daniel was currently feeling. "Um. Hi." He cleared his throat and gestured toward his wife, who looked delicately flushed and somewhat disheveled from their interrupted embrace. "Sha're's awake," he finished lamely, noting the nearly comical expressions on his friends' faces at his statement.

"I can see that," Jack said dryly. "Seems we didn't consider the 'Sleeping Beauty' treatment for her condition." He smiled. "Glad to see you had it covered."

Sam was unable to suppress a laugh, and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she mumbled. "You know, we really can come back-"

Daniel waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I was just about to go get Dr. Brightman, anyway."

"Yeah, it looked that way," Jack quipped with a snort, stopping suddenly as a backhanded blow from Sam landed firmly in his gut. "Ouch!" Turning toward her slowly, he took on an injured expression.

Completely ignoring him, she spoke directly to Sha're and Daniel instead. "So, everything's all right here?"

Exchanging meaningful glances, the pair smiled nearly in unison. "I am well, Samantha," Sha're replied warmly. She pulled her gaze away from Daniel with obvious effort. "Thank you for your concern."

Sam returned the smile with a happy one of her own. "I'm really glad to hear it," she said, injecting a deeper meaning that expressed her feelings on the couple's obvious contentment.

Daniel suddenly noticed that his friends hadn't arrived empty-handed. "Hey, isn't that the cylinder from P3X-812?" Jack held the heavy, crystal-topped device in one hand – while the other still massaged the spot on his stomach where Sam's punch had landed.

Crossing to the other side of her husband, Sam lifted the device from his hand and brought it to the bedside where Daniel sat. "Yes, and you're never going to believe what Jack discovered." Placing three fingers of each hand into six grooves on the cylinder's surface, Sam watched in satisfaction as the cool, silver surface of the device began to transform. The solid metal seemed to instantly liquefy, flowing in intricate patterns along the cylinder's exterior. After a moment, the fluid movement slowed to a halt, leaving the device transformed. Instead of a solid, grooved surface, a series of levers and switches now dotted the length of the device at even, regular intervals.

Daniel and Sha're both sat transfixed by the demonstration. "Oh, wow," Daniel exclaimed softly, unable to better express his utter astonishment. "That's amazing."

Sam nodded enthusiastically. "We have no idea what any of this means, but it's a start."

Looking from Sam to Jack, Daniel nodded slowly. "So," he said incredulously, "Jack really _does_ have latent psychic powers."

Grinning boyishly, Jack shrugged. "Either that, or I'm starting to absorb Carter's intelligence through osmosis."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Can't be that," she muttered, "or you'd have gained enough brainpower to call your _wife_ by her _actual name._"

With a smile at his friends' antics, Daniel turned to Sha're and looked warmly into her eyes. "I'm going to go get the doctor," he said softly. "But I want you to know that whatever she says, we're going to make sure you're all right."

Sha're returned his tender gaze and brushed her fingers along his cheek. "I have no doubts, my Daniel." She looked deeply into his blue eyes. "You make me believe that anything is possible."

Witnessing the sweet affection between her friends, Sam glanced over at her husband, only to find him staring fondly at her. Sha're's words echoed through the hearts of all four people in the room, ushering in a moment of sublime happiness that none of them would soon forget.


	20. In the Night

A/N: This is my second upload. The first, oddly, chopped off the bottom of the chapter.

Thanks, as always, for the reviews. I'm in Stargate heaven this week. In preparation for the return of my Jack in **200**, (squee!) I've been re-watching all the episodes in order, starting with _Children of the Gods._ I'm just wrapping up season 4 – which, incidentally, was one totally kick-ass season. There's really only one thing that could possibly top the one-two punch of _Divide and Conquer_ followed by _Window of Opportunity _and that would be some actual, real-time, non-parallel-universe, not-induced-by-pathogens, not-hallucinated-after-head-trauma, lip-locking, IN YOUR FACE, SAM AND JACK **SHIP**.

Shew. Sorry 'bout that. I'm reeling from all that UST in the early seasons. (I'd completely forgotten about the scene from _Out of Mind_ where Jack wakes Sam up from her cryogenic sleep – he's _totally_ imagining her naked under that blanket!) I really miss those snuck-in-under-the-radar sexually charged moments. Anyway, having consumed many consecutive hours of SG-1, my creative juices are now really flowing. I should not only have this story (and, thus, the trilogy) wrapped up in the next few chapters, but I've also been recently inspired with a whopper of a new story idea. Promise I'm going to knock your socks off in the next few weeks.

My only apology is that this chapter is pure, unmitigated fluff. Sorry, but I'm in that kind of mood!

* * *

Chapter 20 

Thanking the airman who held open the door to Sha're's quarters, Daniel pushed her wheelchair into the room and waited for the door to close behind them. Looking down at her calm but pale face, he smiled uncertainly. "Are you feeling okay?"

Sha're laughed and reassured him with her eyes. "I am feeling well, Daniel. Doctor Brightman will be checking my vital signs regularly, so you need not worry."

Daniel carefully knelt down in front of her wheelchair, taking her hands in his. "Until we figure out why this happened, I _am_ going to worry." Smiling tenderly, he found himself getting lost in the depths of her dark eyes.

Sha're felt her heart skip a beat as his intense, blue gaze swept over her. "Samantha and Jack are working very hard to find answers for me," she whispered gratefully. "They are very good friends, are they not?"

"The best," he agreed softly. There was no question about it; Sam and Jack were going above and beyond the call of duty for them. Thinking about all that was at stake, Daniel reflexively reached up and brushed a lock of hair from Sha're's face. Ever since they'd spoken their feelings for each other, he'd been unable to stop touching her. It was as if he was afraid he'd find she wasn't really there.

Sha're seemed to understand his actions. Without thinking, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Daniel's lips. Pulling away a few millimeters, she whispered softly, "I am glad you are here with me, my Daniel."

Exhaling softly, Daniel closed his eyes and reached up to cup her face with his hands. Without another word, he drew her mouth to his for a sweetly passionate kiss. As her arms slowly entwined themselves around his chest, he felt a sense of rightness sweep over him. For the first time in years, his whole life seemed to be in balance. The dark grief and painful fury which had driven him since her enslavement and death were suddenly and blissfully absent. All that remained was a sense of peace and contentment so complete; he thought he might start glowing from the brilliance of it.

Making a soft noise of desire, Sha're leaned forcefully into the kiss, reveling in the warmth and security of his embrace. There was both a newness and a familiarity to his touch, she couldn't completely assimilate the two emotions. The one thing she was absolutely sure of, however, was that she wanted much, much more of him. To that end, she began undoing the buttons on the front of his shirt, impatiently tugging on the tiny fasteners when they resisted.

When cool air whispered against his collarbone, Daniel suddenly realized what his eager companion was doing. Sucking in a sharp breath, he pulled away, gently placing a hand over her roving fingers. "Whoa, Sha're, I think maybe we should slow down."

Instantly becoming still, she blushed furiously and looked at the floor. "I am sorry for being so bold," she whispered quietly. "Of course I would not push you to do something you did not want to do."

Hearing the anxiety and embarrassment in her voice, Daniel felt instantly remorseful. "Sha're, I don't think you understand." Gently tilting her chin upward, he waited until her dark eyes met his before continuing. "It's not that I don't want you," he said softly, "it's just that you're on your way back from a _hospital room_. I wouldn't want to overtax you."

Sha're saw the sincerity in his eyes and immediately felt a wave of relief and happiness wash over her. Then, blushing slightly, she met his gaze boldly. "I would like it very much if you _overtaxed_ me, Daniel." Seeing his eyes widen with a combination of surprise and desire, she forged ahead. "For many weeks, I have been remembering the joys of our marriage bed. Sometimes," she admitted, turning beet-red, "at very inopportune moments."

Choking at the frankness of her words, Daniel felt himself growing a little pink. Then, as he considered her admission, he found himself grinning. "And here I thought I was alone in that respect."

An answering smile grew on Sha're's delicate features. "I have been most anxious to discover if my memories are accurate. Perhaps you would assist me in this matter?"

Temptation warred with concern in Daniel's mind. Looking her in the eyes, he seemed to be examining her for signs of fatigue or weakness. "Are you sure? Sha're, I'm not going anywhere. We really can wait until you've gotten some rest."

Eyes darkening with passion, she slowly shook her head. "My Daniel, I have slept for an entire day. I need no more rest." Then, spearing him with a smoldering gaze, she smiled seductively. "And perhaps you feel capable of waiting for this, but I assure you," she whispered, leaning forward for another intense kiss, "I cannot."

* * *

Gazing tenderly into a pair of chocolate-brown eyes, Sam sighed contentedly. "I can't believe how much I love you," she whispered, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss on the tip of an adorably small nose. 

Responding to his mama's soft tone, Baby Jonathan blinked, yawned contentedly and cooed something unintelligible.

Across the living room, Jack sat in an overstuffed easy chair, patting his daughter gently on the back while enjoying the scene of domestic bliss before him. "Good to see he has his father's way with words," he quipped dryly.

Looking up, Sam smiled brilliantly at her husband. "Not to mention his dashing good looks," she said quietly. Glancing back at the toddler in her arms, she sighed happily. "Don't tell your dada, Jonathan, but I'm in love with another man."

Jack just smiled and shook his head. "That's all right, I forgive you," he murmured, tenderly brushing his fingers down the smooth, pudgy arm which Janelle had firmly latched around his chest. "After all, I keep winding up with another woman in my bed."

Sam laughed ruefully. "One of these days, she'll sleep through the night again." Looking affectionately at the slumbering little girl cuddled up in her daddy's arms, she couldn't help feeling a sense of absolute peace.

Rolling his eyes, Jack didn't look convinced. "I'm not sure I believe that anymore. First it was colic. Then it was ear infections. Now it's teething. I think we should just resign ourselves to the fact that we won't get a full night's sleep again until they're eighteen."

She chuckled. "You're probably right." With a fluttery sigh, Jonathan finally closed his eyes. "Well, this one is just about down for the count. How about yours?"

Jack examined his daughter carefully. "Out like a light." He smiled slightly. "For now, anyway."

With a wordless exchange that had always been a hallmark of their relationship, Sam and Jack stood in unison and walked slowly toward the nursery. As they gently lay their precious bundles into their awaiting cribs, Sam realized she'd never been so content in her entire life. Taking Jack's hand, she slowly led him from the room, shutting the door quietly behind them.

Jack eyed his wife knowingly. "You okay?" he asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I'm better than okay." Glancing at the door to the nursery, she shook her head. "Hard to believe they're almost a year old now."

Nodding, Jack pulled her up against his side as they walked back to the living room. "Hard to believe we're married with two kids and a house in the suburbs," he replied, sounding somewhat amazed by the facts, even as he spoke them.

Sam looked up at him, blinking away sudden tears. "I'll be the first to admit, there were times I didn't think we'd ever get here."

He stared at her intensely. "No regrets," he whispered, brushing his fingers against her cheek.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "How could I have regrets?" she whispered past the lump in her throat. "I have everything I've ever wanted in life."

Jack smiled, a faintly incredulous look appearing on his chiseled features. "I'll agree that the kids are spectacular," he said gruffly, "but I'll never know what a gorgeous, super-genius like you ever saw in that beat-up old loser that you married."

Sam pushed him down onto the sofa, climbing on top of him so that her legs straddled his lap. "Watch what you say about him," she warned, "I get pretty ticked off when people insult the man I love."

He shrugged. "Just calling it like I see it." The twinkle in his eyes said that he looked forward to any retribution she might be tempted to dole out.

Rising to the challenge, Sam snaked her arms around his neck. "Wanna know what _I _see when I look at him?"

Jack drew her snugly against his chest. "Do I have a choice?" he asked, sounding both amused and resigned.

"Nope." Sam speared him with a meaningful look. "No choice at all." Leaning so that her lips were a hairs' breadth away from his, she spoke in the softest of whispers. "When I look at my husband, I see a strong, capable man with a heart of gold and wisdom far beyond his years. I see someone who puts the well-being of others before himself, and who isn't afraid to laugh when life is funny. Mostly," she murmured, meeting his brown eyes fiercely, "I see the one person who values and understands me like no one else in creation."

Momentarily closing the distance between their lips, Jack brushed a light caress onto her mouth. "Well, Sam, nobody can argue that you're not brilliant," he said against her lips, "but it's really a shame that you're completely off your rocker."

Sam laughed and shook her head. "So you're always telling me," she replied affectionately. "Are you sure you can put up with such a nutcase?"

Jack appeared to ponder the question for a moment. "Considering that the rest of you is pretty much perfect, I think it's a flaw I can live with."

Settling her mouth back upon his, Sam's only response was an inarticulate noise of sheer bliss.

* * *

Silent as a shadow, a dark shape slipped down the deserted subterranean corridor. With the grace of a deadly predator, the lone figure approached his target, confident that his steps were both unnoticed and untraceable. Gloved hands slid a white pass-card into the electronic lock with a single, bold swipe. A smile touched his face as the LED changed from red to green, evidence that all was going according to plan. Silently opening the door to the laboratory, the figure made his way in and out in mere seconds. As he gently pulled the door closed behind him, he gazed triumphantly at the bulky, cylindrical shape contained within the fabric sack at his side. Mentally calculating the time he had left before the security cameras came back online, the intruder felt his smile widen into a deadly grin. 

This, he decided, had been far too easy.


	21. Rude Awakenings

A/N: I've been seeing mixed reviews of '200' on various forums and chat boards, but I must say, I absolutely LOVED it! Of course, I've long since stopped expecting TPTB to write that perfect, shippy ending that we all crave, so I wasn't disappointed by the decidedly lighthearted and teasing mood of the show. Personally, I really enjoyed the millions of inside jokes and the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

Besides – JACK O'NEILL was there! How much complaining can anyone really engage in, when everyone's favorite USAF General is in the house? And, was it just me, or did Jack have _two_ stars on his uniform? When did he get promoted from Brigadier General to Major General?

And how pathetic is it that I noticed that?

Anyway, before you start reading this next chapter, I'd like to both warn and reassure you. The warning is that my muse simply wouldn't wait to start work on my next fanfiction. There were scenes in my head which simply had to be written down. At first, I thought I'd wait to post it until after I'd wrapped this one up, but it turns out, I'm far too much of an immediate-gratification junkie to do so. This leads me to the reassurance: Have no fear, I'm dying to get the end of this story down on paper, too. If only I had four arms and two laptops, I might be able to keep up with this sudden burst of creative energy. Apparently, I kept it bottled up too long while finishing my master's! In any event, the other fiction I'm starting is far more mature and far less plot-driven than this one – total, unapologetic, blatantly hormonal ship. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm afraid I'm a slave to the voices in my head. (Hmmm… I'm not sure that came out right.)

Okay, enough chit-chat. On with the show!

* * *

Chapter 21

Yawning groggily, Sam shuffled down the corridor toward her lab, trying to shake off the now-familiar feeling of sleep deprivation she'd been experiencing for the last year. True to her daddy's predictions, Janelle had woken up noisily around 3:00 a.m., stubbornly refusing to return to sleep anywhere but in her parents' bed. Sam suppressed a smile. She'd often scolded Jack for being too soft with his children – if he continued to spoil them, they might never get another night alone together. Still, the fiercely protective look he got on his face when cradling either of the pudgy cherubs in his arms was priceless. Jack was a pushover when it came to the twins, and, apparently, Sam was a pushover when it came to Jack.

Swiping her passkey in the electronic lock at the entrance to her lab, she opened the door and began planning her morning. First, she'd finish typing her report on Jack's recent discoveries with the cylinder – though why _she_ was typing _Jack's_ findings was still something of a mystery to her. Next, she'd start a closer examination of the cylinder's many switches and levers. If she was lucky, she-

Suddenly, Sam stopped dead in her tracks, a feeling of sickening dismay plowing through her gut. Rushing to the phone, Sam fought to grasp the receiver with her now-trembling hands. Blindly punching numbers, she fought down a rising sense of panic.

Finally, a familiar voice sounded on the other end of the line. "Jack?" The single word held volumes of information about her current emotional state. "Get a security team here immediately." As fingers of dread clutched at her heart, she uttered the words that she'd previously believed impossible. "Someone's broken into my lab." Exhaling sharply, she forced herself to articulate the worst of it. "The cylinder is gone."

* * *

Several levels up, Daniel lay contentedly in Sha're's full-sized bed, reveling in the sensation of her warm breath on his neck. The feeling was surreal. Not long ago, she'd been his muse, his saving grace, and the other half of his soul. The year he'd spent with her on Abydos had been sublime, his only regret that it hadn't lasted long enough. Losing her had killed a part of him and changed his perspective on the rest of his life profoundly.

Now, lying beside her warm, familiar body, he found himself wondering if he was dreaming. The end of her life had been blurred and confusing for him. Her last, desperate communication through the Goa'uld hand device had certainly eased the torment of her death, but had also made him doubt his sanity for months afterward. When he would awaken from dreams haunted by her dark eyes – a natural enough part of the grieving process – he'd wonder if the vision had been a byproduct of his own subliminal pain, or if it had been part of her final farewell. Letting go had been tricky. In some respects, he'd made his peace with her in the final moments of her tormented life. In other ways, the jagged hole left by her passing had never really healed.

In the darkness of the windowless room, he could feel her slowly start to awaken. Smiling at the tiny, satisfied yawn she emitted upon first waking up, Daniel leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good morning," he whispered.

Slowly, one of Sha're's hands slid down his bare arm, eventually meshing itself with the long fingers of his hand. "My Daniel," she murmured sleepily. "Am I dreaming, or is it really you?"

Squeezing her delicate hand, his mouth gently started trailing kisses from her smooth brow, down one sculpted cheekbone, to the corner of her warm mouth. "It's me," he replied softly. Tenderly brushing his lips over hers, he sighed quietly at the incredible _rightness_ he felt.

As their kiss began to gain in heat and intensity, Daniel felt Sha're's hand slip from his grasp before lightly molding itself to his flat stomach. As her fingers explored the smooth, muscular expanse of his torso, Daniel felt his breathing begin to grow labored. Pulling her forcefully against his body, he growled at the sensation of her skin gliding against his.

Unfortunately, at that exact moment, an insistent knock sounded at the door to Sha're's quarters. Stilling instantly, the lovers slowly disentangled themselves from one another as they both tried to formulate rational thoughts. As a scattered afterthought, Daniel yanked their blanket up high enough to provide decent covering.

The action proved to be fortuitous, as the door swung open in the next instant, sending a shaft of fluorescent light into the room. "Sha're?" Sam's uncertain voice filled the silent room.

Cringing at the embarrassing scene which was about to unfold, Daniel cleared his throat sheepishly. "Um… And guest," he said quietly, feeling his face turn red.

In the doorway, Sam's eyes grew wide as saucers. Taking in the haphazardly discarded garments on the floor, the two blanket-covered figures in the bed, and the familiar sound of Daniel's voice, she clapped a hand over her mouth and whirled around to give them whatever privacy they could salvage. "Ohmygod, I'm so sorry," she gasped, sounding truly mortified. "I didn't even think…" Rushing to explain herself, she gestured wildly into the hallway. "When no one answered right away, I was worried that Sha're might be unconscious again. I just wanted to be sure she was okay."

Apparently taking the entire situation much more cheerfully than Sam or Daniel, Sha're chuckled warmly. "As you can see, Samantha, I am more than okay."

Grinning in spite of her embarrassment, Sam nodded at her friend's words. "Well, in that case, why don't you guys give me a call when you're done… Um, I mean… later on." Instantly, Sam felt like smacking herself in the forehead. _When they were done?_ For being a theoretical astrophysicist, she certainly sounded like a complete idiot at the moment.

The ridiculousness of the situation finally sank into Daniel's mortified brain. Smothering a laugh, he choked out a reply. "Sure thing. And Sam?"

"Yeah?" Sam knew her face was probably the color of a fire hydrant. Daniel's embarrassed amusement wasn't making her feel much better.

"Could you tell the guard at the door to _not_ let anyone else in?"

"No problem, Daniel." Quickly stepping out of the room, she yanked the door closed behind her with an exaggerated wince. The marine posted beside the door sent her a curious look that almost sent Sam running down the hallway. Gesturing to the door, she regarded the soldier with a comically awkward expression. "Sha're would like some privacy," she mumbled hastily before scurrying back in the direction she'd arrived.

* * *

By the time she'd returned to her lab, Sam's face had mellowed from a deep crimson to a more neutral magenta. Stumbling past the small army of guards and investigative personnel who'd been summoned to the room, she quickly crossed to the ruggedly familiar form of her husband.

"Hey, everything all right?" Jack asked upon seeing her expression. "You look… flustered."

Sam groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Oh my gosh, I'm _such_ an idiot."

Jack raised his eyebrows in amusement. "Oh? Isn't that supposed to be my job?" Seeing her peek up at him, he couldn't help planting a quick kiss on her forehead. He knew she wasn't comfortable with displays of affection while at the base, but she looked so uncomfortable at that moment, he simply couldn't resist. "What's wrong, Sam? Didn't Sha're take the news well?"

Shaking her head, Sam felt her face darken back into its earlier shade of scarlet. "We never got that far," she mumbled.

Jack sent her a puzzled look. "You went all the way to her quarters and then didn't explain why you were there?"

"Um, yeah. That about sums it up," she agreed miserably. Then, once again hiding her face, she made herself explain the situation, bracing for the reaction that would undoubtedly be forthcoming. "I kind of… _walked in_ on her and Daniel."

For a moment, Jack's face remained blank. Then, catching the suggestive connotation in her words, he burst into unrestrained laughter. "You-" he sputtered, unable to contain his amusement, "you _walked in_ on them?" Then, clearly enjoying the entire idea of the situation, he grinned wickedly. "Were they decent?"

Glaring at her husband, she nodded frantically toward the crowd of people in her lab, some of whom were sending them very curious looks. "Jack!" she hissed from between clenched teeth.

"What?" Her husband's innocent look was far from convincing. "I'm just trying to form an appropriately accurate mental image in my head." Once again dissolving in laughter, he shook his head gleefully. "What I wouldn't give to have seen the looks on your faces."

Groaning, Sam felt her heart sink in her chest. It was going to be a _long_ time before she lived this down. The only thing Jack liked better than teasing his wife was tormenting Daniel. Since this particular story killed both birds with the same stone, she was fairly certain she'd be hearing about it for the foreseeable future.

Looking at the commotion in her lab, Sam abruptly decided that maybe she'd have been better at home with a pair of teething toddlers today.


	22. Progress

A/N: As promised, here's the next, meatier installment of Path. FYI, voting is on at the stargate fan awards site. Lots of great material there for reading. _Learned by Heart, Kept in Mind_ (my prequel to _Reap_) is up for best novel in the ship fanfic category. (Thank you, all, who nominated me again this year!)

I am, obviously, heartbroken about the cancellation of SG-1. (Whose stupid idea was that? Please send all leftover rotten eggs, dirty diapers, and snotty Kleenex directly to SciFi's president.) However, I've gotten past my initial depression and am going to place myself firmly in the denial category. Robert Cooper has vowed to find a new venue, and I'll just pray he's successful, though it sounds as though contract agreements with SciFi make a season 11 all but impossible. Maybe a film instead? I'll take what I can get. In any event, I will continue to write my fanfics, regardless of what happens next year. All I can say is that if it all does end, I'd better get a Farscape/West Wing/Jag finale and NOT one of the Angel variety.

As for this chapter, I've made reference to The Trust, which technically didn't appear on the show until after _Affinity_. If you recall, _Reap_ occurred before potatoehead, er, I mean Pete, proposed, which happened in that episode, thus the timeline is theoretically different. For the purpose of this story, we'll assume that normal operations at the SGC have revealed the existence of the group by this point.

Now, on with the show…

* * *

Chapter 22

Nervously tapping the handle of her coffee mug, Sam shifted in her seat uncomfortably. It had been several hours since her awkward encounter with Daniel and Sha're. In that time, her husband had done little to help her forget her mortification over the whole affair. In fact, it seemed that every time the furious, pink flush on her cheeks began to dissipate, Jack would make some sort of pointed remark to bring it back.

On any other day, her husband's less-than-endearing teasing would have probably made her want to strangle him. However, she knew he had ulterior motives today. As long as she was thinking about her embarrassment over finding Daniel and Sha're in bed together, she wasn't thinking about the missing cylinder and – more frightening by far – how it could have been stolen.

Now, sitting in the conference room outside Jack's office, Sam wasn't sure which upcoming conversation appealed less to her: the one where Jack ruthlessly teased Daniel and her over the morning's incident, or the one where she told Daniel that their best chance for helping Sha're had disappeared from the lab.

Seeming to read her thoughts, Jack wandered over from the door to his office and stood behind her chair. Leaning forward, he gently began rubbing her shoulders in a comforting manner. "We'll figure it out, Sam. Every inch of this place is under surveillance every minute of the day."

Sam's mouth twisted into a frown. "Yeah. Except for the corridor outside my office, where a convenient systems malfunction caused the security cameras to go offline for twelve minutes last night."

Jack continued his massage, trying to ease some of the tension so obvious in his wife's posture. "But he had to get _into_ that hallway somehow, and all the other cameras were working. We _will_ figure out how this happened."

Sam nodded, though it was clear she wasn't convinced.

At that moment, the sounds of footsteps and quiet conversation drifted up the staircase leading into the conference room. Soon after, Daniel and Sha're stepped into view, holding hands and looking utterly enamored with one another.

"Danny!" Jack's overly cheerful greeting caused an immediate grimace to appear on the archaeologist's face. "Sleep well?"

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Daniel sent his friend a quelling look. "Jack." The word was a clear warning. Looking pointedly at the still slightly pale face of his companion, he made it very apparent that he wouldn't tolerate anything which would upset his wife.

Jack returned Daniel's glare with a knowing smile that promised future conversation on the subject when Sha're was no longer around.

Shaking his head, the archaeologist was obviously ready to move things along. "So, what's going on? Sam said it was important."

The reminder of the real purpose for the meeting caused Sam's face to change from the slightly-pink shade it had been all morning to an unnaturally pale hue. Swallowing nervously, she met Sha're's dark eyes directly. "There's no easy way to say this. I'm afraid that the cylinder from P3X-812 has been stolen from my lab."

Sam's words seemed to hit Daniel like a physical blow. Jerking painfully, he turned to face her with an expression of denial. "What? How?" Slowly, anger began to bubble up in his clear, blue eyes. "Wasn't the lab locked? How the hell could someone get in there? And why wasn't it guarded?"

"Daniel." Now it was Jack's turn to issue a warning. From his position behind her chair, he could see the look on his wife's face shift slowly from distress to guilt to outright misery, and he wasn't at all pleased with that transformation. "Sam followed every protocol to the letter. We had no idea that anyone was after the stupid do-hickey and certainly couldn't have anticipated its theft. I'd also like to remind you that while Sam's lab was unguarded, we _did_ have a few posted at Sha're's door, since we thought her safety was of paramount importance." As Daniel's eyes turned toward Jack, the two men shared a charged moment of tension. It was obvious that neither man was going to tolerate anything which might hurt his respective wife.

After a moment, Sha're gently placed her hand on Daniel's arm. "I am sure Samantha has done all she can to help us. Whoever did this must have been very cunning. It is not her fault that the device is missing."

Hearing the truth in her words, Daniel sagged slightly. Looking apologetically at Sam, he nodded. "You're right. And I'm sorry. It's just that the only possible solution to this whole mess has disappeared." Glancing at his wife, a flash of panic crossed his face. "We have no idea what might have caused Sha're's lapse into unconsciousness yesterday. For all we know, it could happen again at any moment."

Sam sighed heavily. "I know, Daniel." Her words were bleak and somber.

Squeezing her shoulders, Jack reassured her without words. Then, to the group, he spoke resolutely. "We've got an army of investigators on the case. Whoever did this is _not_ going to get away with it. I've got calls in at the Pentagon, and General Hammond is checking out the usual suspects. If the NID or the Trust have anything to do with this, we're bound to get some sort of tip-off."

Daniel's face darkened. "Are we sure that Woolsey didn't have something to do with this? He's obviously not pleased with our decision to keep Sha're anyplace but a locked cell."

Jack shrugged. "Anything's possible. Trust me, he's the first person I started checking up on when this all came to light."

Nodding, Daniel looked back across the table at Sam. "I really am sorry for snapping at you. This obviously isn't your fault." A smile began playing at the corner of his mouth. "I suppose that's why you came to visit us this morning?"

At the mention of her humiliating encounter with the couple, Sam began blushing again. "Yes, well… Once I got there, it didn't really seem like an appropriate time to discuss the situation."

Sha're's throaty chuckle made everyone in the room turn to look at her. The lovely woman looked directly at Jack. "You should have seen the looks on their faces," she said, starting to laugh uncontrollably.

Jack's face broke into a huge grin. "I can only imagine."

Sam and Daniel exchanged chagrined looks. Both of them knew how much fun Jack was going to have with the incident in the next few days. Suddenly, however, Daniel's eyes lit up as an idea clearly flashed in his mind. Turning to Jack with a rather devious smile of his own, the archaeologist spoke with a deceptively casual air. "You know," he said offhandedly, "this brings to mind a little incident back on P5X-918…"

Jack's face grew faintly puzzled. "P5X-918?"

Sam's eyes widened. "The volcanic planet," she gasped. Turning first to her husband, then Daniel, she felt her face grow red again. "Daniel! You wouldn't!" She glared at her friend sternly. "That's not fair! _He's_ the one tormenting you, not me."

Daniel seemed unmoved. "Sorry, Sam. It's all I've got on him."

Suddenly, Jack seemed to realize what they were talking about. "Christ, Daniel! You kept those thermal images for _four years_?" He looked both annoyed and incredulous.

Daniel smiled gleefully. "Sure did. Like I told you then, they're in a safe place."

Seeing the utterly baffled look on Sha're's face, Sam turned to her and sighed. "Four years ago, Jack and I were stranded on a planet with a huge volcano that was about to erupt. Daniel and Teal'c made it back through the gate, but we were cut off. In an attempt to gather information, Daniel sent an aerial device to take heat-sensing pictures of the mountain."

The archaeologist turned to his wife with a smile. "Imagine _my_ shock when the photos showed one very snug warm spot in my colleagues' tent, where there clearly should have been two."

Sha're's intelligent eyes lit up with a smile. "So, you and your Jack were-"

Jack interrupted. "Conserving body heat." However, the heated look he sent his wife as he remembered the incident did little to support his words. "We were, after all, forbidden from doing anything less professional by the strict regulations of our military."

Sha're didn't look convinced. "But are you not married now?"

Sam laughed. "Yes, but things were very different then." Smiling wistfully as she recalled events that her husband still could not recollect, Sam sighed. "It's amazing that we made it as long as we did, really."

Jack cleared his throat. "Yes, well… Thankfully, we weren't talking about Sam and I. Nor will we talk about that particular episode any time soon." He cringed. "Just because we avoided a court martial last year doesn't mean the Joint Chiefs couldn't reconsider in the future."

Suddenly, the sound of a deep voice filled the room. "I am sorry to interrupt."

Turning quickly toward the staircase where the voice had originated, everyone was relieved to see that it was only Teal'c. "T!" Jack was clearly relieved by the distraction his friend provided. "What's up?"

"There is a development that I thought Colonel O'Neill would like to hear about." Teal'c's somber tone left little doubt that the 'development' had something to do with the missing device.

"What is it?" Sam's voice was clearly anxious and Jack felt her shoulders tense immediately.

The large warrior crossed to the computer console in the room. "Can you bring up the security camera footage from corridor 24-C last evening?"

Sam nodded, quickly rising from her seat to the computer. In moments, she had the indicated footages playing on the monitor. She knew that the corridor in question was the one leading into the section of hallway where the entrance to her lab was located. Instinctively understanding that Teal'c would want to view the moments immediately before and after the security camera outside her door went out, she pulled them up on the screen.

The footage showed nothing unusual. Three airmen and a lieutenant were all seen walking either toward or away from the hallway where her lab was located. All four of the men had already been interrogated this morning and none of them had shown any suspicious behavior, nor did any of them appear to even know the cylinder was present. Three of the four had been offworld at the beta site for almost a month, and the fourth was just back from an extended medical leave. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to see, Teal'c." Sam's voice was puzzled.

With a grim look, Teal'c pointed out two of the men they had interrogated this morning. "We have a problem," he said starkly. "Airman Phillips and Lieutenant Jorgenson appear on this footage and were even questioned thoroughly this morning. However," he continued stoically, "it would appear we have been misled. In the past twenty minutes, both Airman Phillips and Lieutenant Jorgenson have appeared for their next mission assignments." Teal'c's eyes were blazingly intense. "Both men insist they have been off the base for the past twenty four hours and have no recollection of being in the corridor last night or being questioned this morning."

Exchanging wide-eyed looks with her teammates, Sam felt her face grow pale.

Jack, however, looked both interested and determined. Pausing the security footage, he tapped his finger over one of the figures on the monitor. His quiet words left no doubt as to his state of mind.

"Now we've got you."


	23. Under the Radar

A/N: I cannot apologize enough for the delay in publishing this. I feel as though we've been in crisis mode at my house for so long, I've forgotten what "normal" feels like. My 3-year old daughter has had repeated kidney infections (fevers of 105+) since January. Today, we found out she will need major surgery in July. Last week, her twin brother was finally labeled as autistic by his school district and is now receiving services to help him with his severe speech problems. And, as icing on the cake, my car finally kicked the bucket right in the middle of all this chaos. This almost makes my sinus infection/pneumonia/broken rib/pleurisy from last fall look tame.

Call it stress taking its irrational toll on me, but I think I've finally snapped. I replaced my fairly sensible car with a much "sportier" model. I colored my hair. And tonight, I've ditched homework and a mountain of papers to write fanfiction.

Anyway, this one is close to being wrapped. Hope you enjoy the end of this story and this trilogy. More work to come soon on _Torment of Tantalus_, too – I promise.

Thanks again for sticking with me.

* * *

Chapter 23

Shuffling slowly from the conference room into his office, Jack cradled a coffee cup in one hand and the back of his neck in the other. Tension had been accumulating in his body like poison for the last six weeks, and he felt he might explode if something didn't surface in their investigation of the missing cylinder soon.

Shutting the door to his office behind him with a bit more force than necessary, Jack reflected on the dismal monotony which had taken over the SGC in the past month and a half. He'd been so certain that the case would be cracked wide open with the discovery of duplicate Airmen Phillips and Lieutenants Jorgenson. Much to everyone's dismay, that had not happened. Doctor Brightman had performed DNA analysis of the two men who were currently stationed at the base and confirmed that they were, indeed, the real SGC officers. Unfortunately, absolutely no trace of the imposters could be found, bringing the investigation to a complete halt.

The only bright spot in the whole ordeal was that Sha're appeared to be in good health. She had no lingering effects from her brief lapse into unconsciousness and was deliriously happy to be reunited with Daniel. The archaeologist had practically moved into the VIP room where Sha're lived, causing wild speculation on base about the couple's future. In keeping with a grand SGC tradition, a pool was now underway to guess the date when Daniel and Sha're would marry. Or _remarry_, as the case may be.

Smiling faintly, Jack took one step toward his desk before stopping abruptly.

Someone was already sitting in his chair.

There was something vaguely familiar about the nondescript man lounging casually behind his desk. His dark, raven-sharp eyes glinted with sinister intelligence behind his wire-rimmed glasses, immediately setting off alarm bells in Jack's head.

Racking his brain for information on where he'd seen the man before, Jack eyed him coolly. "Can I help you?" he asked, sounding deceptively mild.

The stranger behind his desk smiled. "You don't remember me, do you, General?" There was just a bit of smugness in his tone.

Jack shrugged. "Never claimed to be good with faces," he replied blandly. Without changing his stance, he began to take mental inventory of his office. With some degree of dismay, he quickly realized that his sidearm was in the drawer of his desk, and that no other weapons were easily accessible.

As if reading his thoughts, the dark-eyed man casually brought one hand out from beneath the mahogany desk, placing a 9-milimeter pistol on its smooth surface. Though neither man's face changed outwardly, the power-shift in the room was nearly audible. "I think you might want to let Sergeant Harriman know you'd rather not be disturbed right now." The man's dark eyes never left Jack's rugged features.

Feeling the familiar mix of dread and adrenaline that always accompanied a dire situation, Jack stepped to his desk and pressed the intercom button with a steady hand. Anyone unaware of the gun being pointed at him would never have guessed the danger by his deliberate, unconcerned actions. "Walter?" he said casually into the microphone.

"Yes sir?" The sergeant's crisp, professional voice replied immediately.

"Hold my calls and don't let anyone bother me for a while. I've got some paperwork I need to catch up on." The excuse was admittedly lame – Jack O'Neill _never_ argued with someone who wanted to interrupt his paperwork duties. But, given the short notice, it was the best he could come up with.

This time, there was a pause before Walter replied. Jack could almost see the puzzled look which was probably etched on his sergeant's face at that moment. Still, Walter was never one to question an order. "Yes, sir." His reply may have been momentarily delayed, but Jack never doubted the answer he'd receive.

Taking his hand from the intercom, Jack turned his attention to the oddly familiar man behind his desk. "So," he said calmly, "what do you want?"

The man slowly rose, grasping the pistol with a cool, relaxed attitude that would set most people trembling. Both of them, however, knew that it would take more than a handgun to intimidate Jack O'Neill. Gesturing toward the high-backed leather chair, the man clearly indicated he wanted Jack to sit. "I just want to talk, General."

Deciding to play along for now, Jack followed the man's non-verbal directive and ambled behind his desk. Taking a seat, he looked directly at the menacing stranger. "All right, let's talk." Leaning back in his seat, he seemed to think a moment. "I don't know, but I think it might be the Penguins' year for the Stanley Cup. Although the Avalanche look pretty good, too."

A glint of annoyance shone in the other man's eyes for a moment before it was smothered. "You always were too blasé for your own good," he said darkly. "I never understood why they'd promote someone so sloppy and unprofessional to head this base."

If the comments were meant to anger Jack, they failed miserably. He simply shrugged. "Must be my charming personality."

The man smirked. "My guess is that they thought you'd be easy to control. Generally, unintelligent people are easily manipulated."

Jack waved his hand impatiently. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. You think I'm a lousy general, dumb as a box of rocks, and probably a few dozen other things that you haven't gotten around to saying yet. But you still haven't told me why you're here." He tilted his head. "Because if you only showed up to insult me, you really didn't need the gun."

The man seemed to grow more irritated by Jack's self-assured attitude. "As a matter of fact, part of the reason I'm here _is_ to tell you what I think of your management style – or lack thereof. But that's not why I brought the gun." His eyes darkened. "The gun is here because you're going to do exactly what I tell you, or your wife is going to find your cold, lifeless body slumped over your desk when she next comes to see you."

Squashing the arrow of alarm which shot through him, Jack carefully kept his features neutral. "And what exactly are you going to have me doing at gunpoint?"

The man smiled grimly. "You're going to give me your access codes for the base security system. Then, you're going to set the self-destruct and evacuate the base." His face had taken on a flushed, fanatical look. "By this time tomorrow, the SGC won't exist."

Jack met the man's eyes directly. "Might as well shoot me now," he said grimly. "Because that's just not gonna happen."

The stranger didn't look concerned. "I thought you might feel that way," he replied with a smile. "Which is why I also rigged your wife's lab with plastic explosives. If you haven't given me those codes in the next five minutes, you're not the only one who's going to end up dead."

An icy knot began forming in the pit of Jack's stomach. _This_ was his worst fear come true. Not the end of the world, not the destruction of civilization, but the notion that someone could use his love for Sam as a way to endanger national security. With the discipline born of countless hours of training – and many more hours of real-world experience – Jack never let his gaze falter. "Then we'll both be dead," he said flatly. "My wife is as much a soldier as I am. If I sacrificed this base to save her, I'd never be able to look her in the eyes again. She'd find such an action treasonous and unforgivable."

With some satisfaction, Jack noticed the slightest cast of doubt creep over the man's features. Apparently, his bluff was working. "You'd kill your own wife for the sake of the SGC?" the stranger asked, clearly disbelieving.

Jack eyed him impassively. "I'm not the one killing her," he replied. "You are."

The man seemed somewhat thrown by his quarry's attitude. "And they say _I'm_ a cold son-of-a-bitch."

Shrugging, Jack was about to respond, when the intercom on his desk beeped loudly.

"Sorry to bother you, sir." Walter's voice sounded somewhat sheepish. "But Colonel O'Neill is here to see you. I wasn't sure if your order extended to her."

Jack looked at the man standing beside him. "I can send her away," he said with a shrug, "but she'll know something is wrong."

Apparently, the other man agreed. Looking around quickly, he seemed to be searching for a place to hide. Suddenly, his eyes locked on Jack's wide mahogany desk. "Stand up," he ordered. Without wasting a moment, the man slid under the desk as soon as Jack was standing. His gun still aimed at Jack's head, the stranger hissed his next instructions darkly. "Let her in, but get rid of her quickly." His beady eyes narrowed. "One wrong move or word, and I'll make sure neither of you lives to see your children again."

Taking a calm, steady breath, Jack acknowledged the intruder's directive only by leaning forward and hitting the button on his com. "Send her in, Walter."

Before he had a chance to form any sort of plan, the door to his office opened and his beautiful wife breezed in. "Hey," she said, smiling brilliantly.

A reflexive smile formed on his own features. "Hey, yourself," he replied, taking in every detail of her lovely face.

Obviously unaware that anything was wrong, Sam spoke with the sweet, happy tone she took around her husband when no one else was around. "I just finished up my report on our last away mission, and I think I'm going to go home and spend some time with the twins. Any chance you might come along?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack could see the deadly glint of the 9-milimeter pistol aimed at him from beneath the desk. "As it turns out, I'm a little tied up tonight," he replied casually.

Sam's face reflected disappointment, but she seemed to understand. "Something urgent?"

Jack shrugged. "Nah. Just a ton of unfinished paperwork. You know how that goes."

Instantly, Sam's eyes sharpened. Had her husband just turned down a night with his children to do _paperwork_? Combing his features for some sign of humor, she was somewhat disturbed to find him completely serious. Opening her mouth, she was about to question his words, when he plowed over them unceremoniously.

"With everything else going on here these past few months, I don't want to give them any reason to bitch at me," he said with a dry smile.

Digesting his words, Sam still seemed a bit concerned, but clearly this wasn't the time or place to discuss her worries. "Okay," she replied reluctantly. "But don't stay too late."

Jack nodded. "I'll try not to."

Unwilling to let her husband's odd mood spoil her own cheer, Sam smiled warmly and turned to leave. As she stepped toward the door, Jack stopped her with what seemed like an afterthought.

"Hey, O'Neill," he called off-handedly, "give the babies a kiss for me, just in case I don't get home before bedtime."

Sam looked back over her shoulder and met her husband's gaze directly. "Sure," she said evenly. "See you later." Then, with a final, meaningful smile, Sam stepped out of Jack's office and closed the door softly.

She walked unhurriedly through the conference room and down the steps into the main corridor before she allowed herself to break into a dead run. At the first doorway, she wrenched open the heavy, steel door and grabbed a phone from the desk of a very startled-looking scientist seated behind it. Punching numbers violently, Sam's heart pounded in her chest until someone on the other line answered. Then, with dread welling in her chest, she uttered words which made her blood run cold.

"Security to General O'Neill's office. We have a hostage situation."

* * *

A/N: More soon. I promise.

By the way, did you know that there is some debate over whether one "racks" or "wracks" one's brain? And, in light of everything else going on in my life, I suppose it's a bit disturbing that I felt the need to research the topic in the first place!!


	24. A Captive Audience

A/N: Thank you ALL for sticking with my ridiculously slow pace of posting chapters to this story, and for the well-wishes and prayers. Yes, life has been insane of late, but your continued presence and support is invaluable to me.

One brief note about the timeline here. As noted in previous A/Ns, I've deviated slightly from show cannon due to the events of _Reap_, but I'm still referencing certain occurrences from season 8 which presumably happened in the background of my trilogy. Hope that doesn't confuse you too much.

* * *

Chapter 24

As the heavy door shut firmly behind his wife, Jack could feel a huge wave of relief wash over him. He'd managed to get her out the door without getting either of them shot – not an easy task when one needed to fool the world's greatest super-genius in order to do so. Better yet, Sam seemed to be on her way back home, which negated the danger of any possible plastic explosives set in her lab. Glancing down at the sinister figure crouched beneath his desk, he spoke calmly. "You can come out now."

Never lowering his weapon, the other man fairly slithered from his hiding spot, quickly positioning himself so that he stood nearly eye-to-eye with his quarry. "You have a lovely wife, General," he said with a suggestive leer.

Though Jack's blood pressure probably rose a few dozen points, his face betrayed nothing. "I tend to think so," he replied with deceptive mildness. "Of course, I find the fact that she can break a man's neck with the heel of her hand just as appealing as those darling little dimples of hers," he couldn't help adding. "But that's just me."

The intruder's only response was an unimpressed smirk. "Yes, well, too bad she's not available at the moment," he said sarcastically. "Apparently, you'll need to find a way out of this situation by yourself."

Jack shrugged. "Seems that way." Secure in the knowledge that Sam was safely on her way home, the tightness in his gut had all but evaporated. He stared evenly at the sinister figure, thoroughly unimpressed with his captor.

Somehow, the other man sensed the shift in Jack's mood. Not liking the vibes he was picking up, he shifted his gun purposefully. "Well, _General_, if you're not going to help me, there isn't much point in keeping you alive."

Tilting his head slightly, Jack's gaze didn't waver even slightly. "I suppose not," he replied calmly. "Of course, for your sake, I sincerely hope you brought a silencer for that thing," he said, pointing at the pistol. "One shot, and there are gonna be fifteen marines in here before you can say 'use of deadly force.'" Jack's smile didn't touch his eyes.

Looking slimy and unruffled, the other man reached into his pocket and produced a disk-shaped, alien-looking device. "Oh, I'm not worried about that," he said with exaggerated casualness. "All your marines will see is a dead stranger on the floor, and one very upset General O'Neill rushing to make sure his wife is okay."

As Jack examined the disks more closely, a sudden realization dawned.

_Mimic devices_.

This was undoubtedly the man who had slipped into Sam's lab and stolen the cylinder. His face was remarkably familiar, but Jack still hadn't put his finger on where he'd seen it before. Sighing inwardly, he wished he had Daniel's memory for faces. Or Teal'c's fancy mind-focusing tricks. Or—

Before Jack's thought could finish forming, absolute chaos erupted in his office. With absolutely no warning, the door burst open, releasing six heavily-armed marines into the tiny space in less than a heartbeat. Jack's combat instincts took over. Reflexively, he dropped to the floor and took cover in the exact spot where his captor had been hiding moments earlier.

The other man obviously did not have Jack's military experience. Before he'd even turned to point his weapon at the marines rushing him, a single zat shot sent the man falling in a heap to the ground. In moments, the soldiers had taken his pistol and pinned his twitching body to the floor.

Slowly, Jack pulled himself from under his desk and rose to his feet. A smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. One thing was certain. He might not have Daniel's memory or Teal'c's meditation tricks.

But he sure had one hell of a wife.

* * *

An hour later, Jack and the rest of SG-1 had assembled outside the brig. His former captor was now disarmed and securely held in custody. A search of his person had revealed two of the mimic devices, one set to an unremarkable and unfamiliar face, and one meant to duplicate Jack's likeness. Sam's initial examination of the devices had sent a ripple of excitement through the SGC's scientists. As far as she could tell, these devices were of significantly higher quality than any mimic device seen on Earth, excepting, of course, the original disks worn by the foothold aliens who had first brought them to the planet. Up to this point, replicas of the devices made at Area 51 had only succeeded in giving 3 to 6 minutes of disguise time. However, Sam had activated both of the newly obtained models for more than 20 minutes, and neither appeared to be losing their effectiveness even slightly.

"I have no idea how he's done this," Sam said grudgingly. "But I'd sure like to find out."

Jack smiled at her. "Well, here's your chance," he said cheerfully. "I'm sure he's got plenty to say."

Daniel looked grim. "I'd like to know _who_ he is." His blue eyes flashed with intensity. "And what the hell he's done with that cylinder."

Teal'c placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Indeed," he agreed softly.

Apparently, that was all the encouragement Jack needed. Without another word, he nodded to the marine stationed outside the man's cell. The heavily armed soldier opened the door, letting the team step inside.

The man sitting handcuffed in the cell looked rumpled, but also intensely angry. His dark eyes flashed with rage behind his wire-rimmed glasses. "I won't tell you anything," he said defiantly. "You might as well shoot me now." The words, similar to Jack's own statements while being held at gunpoint, were laced with mocking sarcasm.

Jack tilted his head. "Okay," he agreed readily. Pulling his sidearm from its holster, he leveled the gun at the prisoner and started to squeeze the trigger.

When it became obvious to the man that no one was going to stop Jack from following through on his threat, he paled. "Wait!" he cried, "you can't just shoot me! I'm an American citizen!"

Jack continued to point the pistol steadily at the now-quaking man. "Well, make up your mind," he said, sounding somewhat irritated. "First you want me to shoot you, then you don't." Turning to Teal'c, he released a long-suffering sigh. "Prisoners nowadays," he commented in disgust.

The man seemed utterly horrified by Jack's blasé treatment of the situation. "I have rights!" he insisted vehemently.

Daniel sneered in a rather un-characteristic manner. "You think so?" His voice was cold and hard as nails. "Right now, you're locked in a cell under a mountain which holds a military base that most members of _Congress_ don't know about. You were found carrying devices which have been purged from every known military and civilian record – after holding an Air Force General at gunpoint." Daniel's smile was thoroughly unpleasant. "Whatever rights you might have had were forfeit the moment you broke into this base and committed treason." His eyes blazed. "You do know that treason is punishable by death? And, given the nature of your crimes, I think it's fair to say no jury will ever hear your case."

If it was possible, the man's coloring had faded from pasty white to pale green. "None of you are fit to defend this world," he said, trying unsuccessfully to sound brave and defiant. "You're disgraceful."

Suddenly, Sam's eyes widened. "I know him!" she exclaimed. Pointing an accusing finger, she shook it at him vehemently. "That's Kevin Hartans!"

Jack snapped his fingers. "I _knew_ I'd seen him before!" Turning to the man, his brown eyes flashed with annoyance. "You're the moron who helped the Trust steal our gate," he said darkly, waving his gun to emphasize his displeasure.

Hartkans looked more offended than terrified at Jack's comment. "I'm _hardly_ a moron," he insisted. "I've got two Ph.D.s!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Trust me," he said, gesturing toward his wife, "when Sam's in the room, anyone who's not an Asgard qualifies as a moron."

The scientist snapped his mouth shut, suddenly seeming to realize he'd been arguing with an armed former-special-forces agent about his educational background – which, ironically, _did_ make him look like a moron.

Apparently growing tired of the conversation's slow pace, Daniel turned to Jack with a dark look. "Can we either find out what he knows or just shoot him and get it over with?"

Jack smiled evilly. "Sure thing, Danny." Turning to the prisoner, he inclined his head slightly. "So, Hartkans, what's it gonna be? Either spill the beans on where you took Carter's do-hickey, or kiss your sorry ass goodbye."

The man sputtered. "I have no idea what you're talking about. And even if I did, I'd hardly tell you."

Jack was about to raise his gun for another round of 'intimidate the bad guy' when a knock sounded at the door.

One eyebrow raised, Teal'c turned as the heavy iron door swung open, revealing a young airman. The soldier glanced uncertainly from Jack to Teal'c and back again.

"Can we help you?" In contrast to the tense mood in the cell, Teal'c's voice was polite and calm. Apparently glad to have someone to address, the airman saluted, handed the Jaffa a piece of paper, and left the cell immediately.

Looking unruffled, Teal'c unfolded the paper and scanned it quickly. "O'Neill," he said mildly, "it appears a contingent of marines have located Dr. Hartkans' research facility using the method outlined by your wife." His dark eyes glinted intensely as he continued. "The cylinder has been recovered."

Jack's face split into an even more sinister grin than it had been wearing earlier. "Hear that, Doc? Seems we don't need you anymore."

The doctor's eyes had widened comically. "But that's impossible!" he sputtered. "You're bluffing!"

Teal'c replied evenly. "Your laboratory is located at 454 Southport Boulevard. It is housed in a warehouse and disguised as a clearinghouse for used computer parts."

Apparently quite satisfied with the utter shock on his prisoner's face, Jack shook his head slowly at the man. "I told you," he said smugly, "when my wife is around, _nobody_ else gets to look smart."

Ignoring Jack's barbs, Hartkans looked at Sam disbelievingly. "How did you know where to look?"

Sam shrugged. "The disks you carried emit a distinct energy signature. It wasn't hard to have Prometheus scan for that frequency from orbit and report the location of their findings."

Daniel exhaled silently. The relief on his face was plain to his friends, though probably not evident to anyone else. Clearly, he now understood the paper in Teal'c's hands to be legitimate, not a bluff. And with the cylinder back in their control, there was some hope to find answers for Sha're.

Apparently tired of the conversation, Jack looked at Hartkans and put away his sidearm. "The good news, Doc, is that I don't have to shoot you." He smiled darkly. "The bad news is that you're going away for a _very_ long time. I'm sure the scientists at Area 51 will want a full account of all your research," he said mildly. "And I _know_ there are a few folks in our investigative unit who will want some answers about your ties with the Trust." His eyes shone with satisfaction. "But I, for one, have had quite enough of you today." Turning to his friends, he gestured toward the door. "I think we have a cylinder to investigate."

Without another backwards glance, the team turned from the gaping scientist and left the cell in silence.

Once outside, Jack opened his mouth to speak, when the young airman who'd interrupted them earlier approached and saluted sharply.

"Sir," he said crisply, "you have an urgent phone call."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. Who could possibly be calling? The people who usually sent him urgent phone calls were all standing within arm's reach. "Do you know who it is?"

The soldier nodded. "Yes sir, it's Mr. Woolsey."

Wrinkling his nose distastefully, Jack couldn't quite restrain a groan of annoyance. "What could _he_ possibly want?"

Sam put a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Maybe you should talk to him." Her voice was calm and soothing. "He _does_ have some power in this situation. It might be better to humor him."

Sighing resignedly, Jack heeded the wisdom of his wife's words. "Oh, fine," he grumbled, striding to the nearest telephone. Picking it up, he barked into the receiver. "This is General O'Neill. Put Woolsey through."

After a brief pause, a click on the line let Jack know the call had been transferred. "Dick," he said with false enthusiasm, "what can I do for you?"

The crisp, irritated tone in Woolsey's voice left no doubt as to his present mood. "You can start by being serious for a moment," he replied angrily. "I can assure you that I don't appreciate your juvenile humor when national security is at stake."

Jack's face reflected both confusion and exasperation. "What are you talking about?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

Woolsey's response was just as heated. "As if you didn't know." His displeasure was obvious, even over the phone line. "I'm reading a report of the last several hours' events on your base," he said darkly.

Still perplexed and irritated, Jack found himself growing impatient. "So what?" he snapped.

"So," Woolsey replied heatedly, "in the future I'd appreciate it if you did _not_ feed me false information just to amuse yourself."

Jack finally snapped. "Listen, Dick. I have absolutely _no_ idea what you're talking about. I assure you I didn't write the report you're reading, nor have any idea what's in it." He glared at the telephone. "Take my word for it, you are the _last_ person on Earth I'd inform of my daily activities!"

Completely unappeased, the lawyer's voice registered total disdain for the conversation. "Then would you kindly explain this ridiculous account?" His voice snapped with impatience. "According to the document in front of me, your wife called for a full contingent of heavily armed marines to respond to a hostage situation in your office less than two hours ago. And apparently, the only evidence she had of this supposed security breach were your desire to catch up on paperwork and the fact that you referenced her proper name!"

After a brief moment of silence, Jack burst into appreciative laughter before he slowly hung up the phone.

* * *

A/N: Useless factoid #8,574, regarding racking/wracking one's brain… "racking" (in this particular context) appears to have been derived from the ancient torture device sharing the same name. If you were "racking" your brain, you'd be stretching it until it revealed something useful. However, "wracking" might also be accurate, because to "wrack" means to pummel something mercilessly. So, when you're thinking hard, are you "racking" your brain or "wracking" it??

English is such a fascinating language.


	25. Presents and Futures

A/N: Okay, okay. I give up. Every time I think life has calmed down enough to offer some quiet writing time, another crisis jumps up and gives me a great, big boot-to-the-head. I'm just back from the hospital with my daughter – she required surgery to fix her bladder. We knew she needed surgery, but it was scheduled for July. However, in light of recent infections, the surgeons felt she shouldn't wait that long and it got bumped up to June 1. Factor into that the fact that I'm a teacher and was scrambling to get lessons and notes planned for my sub FOR THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR and you can see what kind of chaos my life became.

Anyway, I submit to Murphy's Law and am officially crying UNCLE!

Thankfully, everything went well, and my little one is back to her darling, 3-year-old self. Life was a little nutty for a while, but I'm finally decompressing for the first time in like three years. I promise this will be my last apology for this story. I'm committed to wrapping this trilogy up by the end of the week. (God, I love summer vacation!!) Anyway, here we go!

* * *

Chapter 25

The four members of SG-1 sat in mute frustration around the SGC's well-worn conference table. Even Teal'c's normally stoic features held a hint of anxious impatience as he stared at the table's smooth, mahogany surface. There, resting casually in the center, was the object of the team's ire – the metallic cylinder from P3X-812.

In the two months since Hartkans had been apprehended and questioned, Sam and Daniel had spent countless hours examining the cylinder and a plethora of other fascinating devices found at Hartkans' Trust-funded laboratory. The initial euphoria of having the cylinder back had carried them all to Thanksgiving, which had been a joyous holiday for everyone, especially Sha're. However, now that Christmas Eve was mere hours away, and no further clues to the device's operation were forthcoming, things seemed considerably less cheerful.

"I'm not one who normally says this sort of thing, but I'm completely stumped," Sam admitted dejectedly. "I can't even figure out what sort of bioelectric mechanism triggers the transformation of the device from bare metal to switches and levers, much less venture a guess as to what any of those switches and levers actually do. I've never seen such advanced technology in my life."

Daniel exhaled audibly. "That's no small claim, considering the scope of Ancient technology you've worked with."

Sam nodded once. "I know," she replied apologetically. "But I've honestly never seen anything like it."

Across the table, Jack ran a tense hand through his already-ruffled hair. "I have."

The silence in the room was palpable as all eyes turned toward him. No one doubted his instincts regarding the device anymore, but no one was particularly comfortable with them either – least of all, Jack.

Sighing in resignation, Jack spoke what everyone was already thinking. "I have a feeling that we won't get any real answers about the device until we hook that thing back up with the stone circle it came from."

Instantly, Sam stiffened. She'd almost managed to contain the knee-jerk feeling of dread she experienced every time she looked at the cylinder, but contemplating a repeat of the _last_ experience they'd had with replacing the cylinder was just too horrible for words. Knowing that Sha're's future was at stake kept her quiet on the topic, but everyone else in the room could feel the unease rolling off her in waves.

Closing his eyes to block out the expression on his wife's face, Jack pushed ahead heroically. "I know I can put the cylinder back where it came from without causing any damage," he said quietly. "Maybe, after that, Sam can get some answers from the damn thing."

Sam was about to open her mouth to reluctantly agree with the idea, when a soft voice stopped her.

"Please, do not."

Instantly, the team turned their attention to the doorway of the conference room, where Sha're stood, smiling serenely.

Looking puzzled and slightly dismayed, Daniel objected gently. "Sha're, this might be the only way we can get answers about where you came from or how to send you back."

She walked over and gently brushed a hand down his cheek. "My Daniel," she said quietly, "I understand the situation. But I cannot, in good conscience, let my very best friends risk their lives to gather information which may or may not change my circumstances here."

Daniel seemed reluctant to agree. "Jack seems to think he can replace the cylinder without putting himself in any danger, and his instincts on this topic have been perfect so far."

Never taking her eyes from his, she replied gently. "Perhaps. But what of Samantha? She has had no such instincts about the device, and once the cylinder is replaced, it is she who will be examining it more closely." Everyone in the room could feel Jack wince at her words. "I need not remind you of what occurred the last time someone meddled with this device." She placed a hand on her own chest, smiling somewhat ironically.

Inhaling sharply, Daniel's eyes shone with anger. "So, what? We just give up? Are you prepared to live the rest of your life under this mountain? Because the Air Force still hasn't let Teal'c out into the 'real world' and he's been here for the better part of a decade! And what if you get sick again?" The fear in his words underscored the raw fury painted on his expression.

Softly taking both of his hands in hers, Sha're crouched down and met his fierce gaze at eye-level. "If I become sick, there are many gifted doctors here who can help me. And as for my living here," she squeezed his hands gently, "wherever you are, Daniel, I can make my home and be happy."

Daniel's expression softened. "You'll never see your father again," he whispered.

She smiled sadly. "At least, in this place, his physical reality ended in glory and honor." She swallowed. "And he would be happy if he knew I had escaped the tyranny of Ra."

After a moment of gazing deeply into her eyes, Daniel nodded. Then, breaking away, he looked across the table at Jack. "What do you think?" he asked quietly.

Jack didn't hesitate. "I think if she wants to stay, we're certainly glad to have her. I can probably even pull a few strings and get her moved off the base."

Daniel's expression was skeptical. "Do you really think Woolsey is going to let her live outside of government control?"

Jack's brown eyes hardened. "I don't think it's up to Woolsey. And there was already precedent set for this situation when Cassie went to live with Janet." He glanced at the Jaffa beside him. "Don't forget, Daniel, part of the reason Teal'c has stayed on-base is because he's involved in the daily operations of the SGC. As a member of SG-1, he's constantly exposed to new classified information. Cassie, on the other hand, while aware of the secret of the stargate, didn't stay on Earth in an official capacity. She was just a kid finding a new home. I don't see how Sha're's situation is any different."

Daniel still appeared somewhat doubtful. "But Cassie was going to live with a highly trusted member of the SGC. She had a built-in guardian who was privileged to all the classified baggage that Cassie took with her. I'm sure that went a long way in swaying The Powers That Be to let her live on the surface."

Across the table, Jack stared at his friend meaningfully.

After a moment, Daniel's expression changed to one of understanding. "Oh!" He smiled at his own thick-headedness. "Right."

Sha're blinked in confusion. "Daniel?" Clearly, she had no idea what had just transpired.

Smiling, Daniel squeezed her hand. "Don't worry," he replied soothingly. "I think Jack has figured out a way to come through on his offer to get you out of the SGC."

Sha're's smile was brilliant. "Then there is no reason to consider further options. I will stay here and enjoy the bounty of your planet." Looking around the table, her eyes filled with happy tears. "I am blessed to have such wonderful friends," she said thickly.

Sam felt her own throat closing with emotion. She knew darn well that most of Sha're's decision had been based on fears for her own family's safety. She would be eternally grateful for the other woman's thoughtful sacrifice.

Rising, Jack gestured at the cylinder on the table. "Let's put that thing away for safekeeping," he said firmly. "And not in Area 51 – I'm not sure I trust their security anymore." Then, hearing that admission, he winced. It was more than a little disconcerting to doubt the security of the second-most well-guarded military establishment in the United States. Sighing, he shrugged in resignation. Things were what they were and he couldn't change them. Looking at the device again, he scratched his head. "Can anyone think of a place to hide it?"

With a small smile directed at Daniel, Teal'c stood and delicately picked up the cylinder. "I have a 'safe' place where I keep several other sensitive items," he replied.

Not understanding the broad grin on Daniel's face at Teal'c's words, Jack simply accepted the warrior's offer at face value. Clearly, there was some sort of inside joke going on, and he wasn't sure he wanted to probe the topic any further, especially with the way Daniel's eyes kept flitting between Sam and himself in amusement. "Okay, T. Just keep it safe."

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed."

As everyone stood and started moving toward the door, Sam suddenly seemed to remember something. "Wait!" she exclaimed. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!"

Jack looked at her oddly. "This is news?" he asked dryly.

She simply stared at him in exasperation. "Before this whole cylinder thing started dragging on, we decided we wanted to have everyone over to the new house for Christmas, remember?" Her voice was a quiet hiss as she tried to direct her words only to her husband.

Jack nodded, still not understanding. "Yes. So?"

Sam poked him in the ribs. "So, we never invited them," she said under her breath, gesturing to the amused faces gathered around them.

Jack opened his mouth to object. Then, as he slowly reviewed the events of the last few months, he closed it slowly. "We didn't, did we?" Seeing his wife grimly shake her head, he took a deep breath and turned to his friends. "Hey guys," he said cheerfully, "What'cha doin' tomorrow night?"

* * *

The soft glow of several hundred multicolored Christmas lights bathed Sam and Jack's spacious new living room in warm, twinkling cheer. As Jack poured heavily spiked eggnog into his wife's glass, he smiled at the odd picture that Teal'c made, sitting across the room in the leather sofa, cradling the soundly-sleeping Baby Jonathan in his powerful arms. The twins had tired themselves out long ago, toddling through the mountains of gifts brought to them by their adopted uncles and aunt. Sam had just put Janelle down for the night and was finally unwinding from 'Mommy' mode, but she'd yet to take Jonathan to join his sister in the nursery.

Dropping a soft kiss on Sam's forehead, Jack picked up his beer and walked over to the large Jaffa. "I can put him upstairs," he offered gently, gesturing to the chubby, drooling child on the warrior's lap.

Teal'c looked at the small face tenderly. "Perhaps later," he said quietly. Then, looking at his somewhat surprised friend, he smiled slightly. "When Rya'c was this age, I would hold him as he slept," he explained softly. "These moments bring back fond memories for me."

Jack nodded, clearly understanding the nostalgia in Teal'c's words. "Well, he certainly looks comfy," he said with a smile. "Let me know if you change your mind."

The warrior inclined his head silently.

Across the room, Sha're and Daniel sat snugly in the love seat – a piece of furniture that, at least for tonight, was clearly living up to its name. Jack's smile deepened at the sappy looks they kept giving each other.

"Having a nice time?" Sam's soft voice in his ear sent a soft wave of emotion through his own heart.

"Hell, yeah," he replied quietly. Then, gesturing to the pair across the room, he grinned. "Though, apparently, not as good a time as they're having. I don't think Daniel has stopped smiling in the last twenty hours."

Wrapping her arms around her husband's lean waistline, Sam placed a soft kiss at the juncture of his neck and earlobe. "He's in love," she replied simply, enjoying the soft hitch in Jack's breathing at her actions. "You still remember what that's like, right?"

"Hmmm," Jack answered with a smile. "Vaguely." The husky quality in his voice belied his flippant reply. "Though maybe you'll have to remind me of the details later on, after everyone leaves."

Sam chuckled, nipping his ear softly. "I'm sure I could be persuaded to do that."

The sound of a throat being cleared brought Sam and Jack from their personal conversation. Looking across the room, Sam could see that Daniel had stood and was holding a wine glass aloft.

The archaeologist gazed affectionately at the familiar faces in the room, savoring the pure contentment of the moment. "I'd like to propose a toast," he said formally, locking eyes with each of his friends before continuing. "The last few years have been quite a roller coaster for all of us. I honestly have no idea how we've all managed to arrive here, happy and whole, but here we are nonetheless. I know, for my part, I couldn't have survived the chaos without the support of each and every one of you." Raising his glass, he gestured it toward the dear faces in the room. "To friendship," he said softly.

"To friendship." The soft echo of the others' voices was filled with sincerity. As glasses were brought together and hugs exchanged, the distinct sound of sniffles began to emerge from both Sam and Sha're. Smiling at their sentimental reactions, Daniel decided he'd better get on with the rest of his speech before they totally dissolved in tears. Clearing his throat once again, Daniel waited for the room to quiet before he continued.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, my own life has taken quite an unexpected turn for the better in recent months." Smiling meaningfully into Sha're's lovely eyes, he felt his heart constrict with sweet emotion. "Having a second chance to know this beautiful woman has made me into a new person – which you guys probably already know, having witnessed the transformation. So I'm sure _this_ will come as no surprise."

With a tender smile, Daniel slowly lowered himself to one knee and pulled a small, velvet-covered box from his pocket. As Sam's gasp of delight rang out, Sha're's eyes widened. Looking into Daniel's eyes, she seemed to be wondering if her understanding of Earth customs was correct. Her fears were put to rest, however, as he snapped the box open and spoke earnestly. "Sha're, the first time we met, you were being offered to me as a bride. And I, being the bonehead that I am, made you feel as though I didn't want you. This time," he said determinedly, "I am _not_ going to make that mistake. I have loved you from the moment we met. Your beautiful soul and courageous heart have taught me to believe in the human spirit at times when I didn't think I could. And somehow, even though you were gone forever, I've miraculously been given a second chance to spend my life at your side. It's a chance I won't waste." Leaning forward, he pulled the sparkling diamond ring from its box and took her left hand in his. "Sha're, I have no idea what I did to deserve you, but please say you'll do me the honor of becoming my wife."

Laughing joyfully, Sha're beamed through the tears streaking down her face. "Yes!" she choked out ecstatically. "Of course I will marry you, my Daniel."

As the pair closed for a tender kiss, applause and cheers erupted from the others in the room. Though Teal'c was unable to stand and offer his congratulations with Jonathan in his lap, his broad smile spoke volumes about his feelings on the matter.

Sam, of course, offered her well-wishes through a fountain of tears – a fact which made her husband smile in amused affection. Snaking an arm around her waist, he tugged her up against his side. "Sap," he muttered dryly in reference to her happy sniffles.

Sam just nodded. "Yeah, I know," she said tearfully. "But I'm just so happy for them." Then, brilliant blue eyes shining with emotion, she lovingly caressed her husband's features with her gaze. "It's not every day that your dreams come true," she whispered softly.

Feeling his own heartstrings being tugged by the sweetness of the moment, Jack returned her gaze with a tender one of his own.

"Speak for yourself," he said quietly, leaning down to place a kiss on her lips. "Mine do."

* * *

A/N: By the way, in case you thought this was the happy end to our story… think again. Still a few loose ends to tie up!


	26. For Better or For Worse

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and well-wishes – they mean the world to me. I'm delighted that so many of you are still hanging around for updates, despite the snail's pace at which they've been written! I can't tell you how much I love seeing your responses in my mailbox. You guys really are the best.

Now, as promised, another installment of the story. Probably 1 or 2 more chapters after this and the entire trilogy will officially be wrapped – just in time to see the official end of SG-1 on SciFi. sniff! In any event, it will be fitting if I manage to finish this epic saga at the same time SG-1 makes its swansong in the U.S. So, don't be surprised if I really do manage to get this story finished by Friday night.

* * *

Chapter 26

Scorching, arid winds swept past Daniel's face as he stared into the harsh beauty of the Egyptian desert. He and Sha're had talked extensively about where to have their wedding. They'd considered a host of different friendly planets, and even tossed around the idea of being wed in the SGC – a prospect which had dimmed considerably since they'd become aware of Woolsey's obsessive voyeurism where SG-1 was concerned. In the end, the Great Pyramid of Giza seemed like the perfect backdrop for their nuptials. The impressive structure reminded Sha're of her own past, while simultaneously highlighting Earth's brave revolt against enslavement. And, of course, the Pyramids had been the site of the original gate excavation (and the origin of Daniel's theories about alien life forms,) which had united the couple in the first place.

Now, six short weeks after Christmas, Daniel and Sha're stood on the Giza Plateau, staring at the magnificent stone monument in quiet awe.

"It looks so..." Sha're trailed off, contemplating the structure. "Old," she finally finished, sounding both satisfied and a little sad.

Daniel smiled faintly. "It _is_ old. Earth rebelled against the Goa'uld thousands of years ago."

Sha're's eyes skated over her fiancé's features tenderly. "Until I met you, a future free from enslavement was more than I could imagine."

Looking into her bottomless, dark eyes, Daniel found his heart swell with love for her. "Until I met you, pretty much everyone I knew thought I was a miserable failure," he said with a dry smile. "You made me feel invincible," he said softly.

She smiled at him, eyes alight with mock innocence. "You mean to say you are not invincible?"

He chuckled. "Hardly. I'm pretty sure even Sam could kick the crap out of me."

Sha're patted his hand consolingly. "I am fairly sure that Sam could, as you say, 'kick the crap' out of most people," she said with a smile.

Daniel shrugged. "Yeah, probably." Then, with sudden, uncharacteristic spontaneity, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips.

"Hey! Break it up!" The sound of Jack's official 'Air Force General' voice snapped through the dry air as he approached the couple from a few steps away. His gruff tone, however, was offset by a broad, teasing grin.

Standing next to him, Sam gave her noisy husband a firm shove. "Jack, leave them alone!" she hissed. "They're getting married in a few hours."

Jack waved a hand dismissively. "Lousy excuse," he quipped, still smiling at the pair.

A deep voice quietly interrupted from behind them. "I seem to recall several instances when you and your wife were rather affectionate in public." Teal'c casually approached Sam and Jack, a faint smile playing along the corners of his usually stoic mouth.

Staring at the warrior with wry accusation, Jack shook his head. "Whose side are you on, T?"

One of Teal'c's eyebrows shot up. "I did not realize that I was required to choose sides." He paused. "In fact, I was unaware there _were_ sides."

Sam just laughed. "With Jack, there usually are."

Teal'c looked puzzled. "Then, what _are_ the sides in this debate?"

Sighing in exasperation, Jack rolled his eyes. "Teal'c, it was a metaphor. You know, us versus them. Boys versus girls. Logic versus emotion."

Teal'c stared at him silently.

"Oh, for-cryin-out-loud, never mind." Jack waved a hand in frustration.

For their part, the embracing couple didn't seem to notice any of the background noise. Locked in a tender kiss, they were completely oblivious to the world around them.

Moments later, Sha're slowly opened her eyes and stared giddily into Daniel's bright, blue gaze. He smiled tenderly at her.

"Let's go get married."

* * *

The ceremony was performed by a dark-eyed government official whose soul job seemed to be officiating marriages in front of the giant pyramid. Still, his smile was warm, and his blessing of the union seemed genuine and heartfelt. The couple exchanged lovely, simple vows reflecting their deep and abiding love for one another. In their hearts, both Daniel and Sha're felt as though they'd always been married. This ceremony simply made official what was already etched in their souls.

Sam watched the entire wedding through a veil of happy tears. When Daniel finally leaned forward to kiss his bride, Sam leaned close to her own husband and spoke tenderly into his ear. "I love a happy ending," she whispered.

Jack smiled down at her, eyes sparkling. "I prefer a happy _beginning_," he quipped. "Endings usually suck."

Unable to restrain a chuckle at his irreverent – if mostly accurate – humor, Sam shook her head. "Good point," she replied. "In this case, I think we're looking at both."

Jack's smile slowly turned sincere. "We're starting to become experts in that area, hey?"

Nodding slowly, Sam felt another round of happy tears spill down her cheeks. "Considering how things might have turned out for all of us, I'd say we're very blessed."

Jack leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "No argument there." Then, looking into her blue eyes, he smiled faintly. "Can you believe that we'll be married a year next week?"

Sam's heart fluttered joyfully at the reminder. _Finally_, he would be able to recall their stolen moments together on the volcanic planet. Smiling radiantly, she nodded. "It's going to be a wonderful anniversary," she predicted.

Looking up, Jack noted with some amusement that the newlyweds were still locked in a passionate embrace. "Maybe we should poke them or something," he said dryly. "At this rate, we might all still be standing here on our anniversary."

Rolling her eyes, Sam gave a long-suffering sigh. "That's what I love best about you, sweetheart," she said sarcastically. "You're _such_ a romantic."

* * *

Later that evening, all the members of SG-1 sat around a softly-lit table in the elegant private party room of their hotel's restaurant. Sam had just called Jacob and Sarah to check on the twins, and was feeling able to unwind and enjoy the festivities.

Jack was animatedly giving Teal'c lessons in the best approach to catching Northern Pike – a monologue which the large Jaffa seemed to be mostly tuning out, while Daniel and Sha're whispered softly into each other's ears. Taking in the entire scene with a smile of affection, Sam once again felt gratitude for her good fortune sweep over her profoundly.

Looking up, Daniel quietly raised his glass and waited for everyone to give him their attention. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and began speaking. "I just wanted to thank you all for flying out here to be with us on our special day. I know that being away from the twins is difficult for you guys," he said to Sam and Jack, "but it means the world to us that you were here."

Sam gazed at him with a sweet smile. "You're family," she said simply. And, in her heart, it was true. She'd long loved Daniel like a brother, but since his absolute dedication to her when she'd been pregnant and grieving, Sam couldn't imagine feeling more for an actual family member. He'd been her rock, and she was delighted in his own, newfound happiness.

Sharing her affectionate look, Daniel seemed to understand her thoughts perfectly. "Well, thanks anyway," he said.

Delicately clearing her throat, Sha're softly redirected the group's attention to herself. "I, too, wanted to thank you all. Not only for being with us on our wedding, but for accepting me into your hearts. The circumstances which brought me here could have been terrifying and horrible. But, instead of being made to feel like an outsider, your support and determination have instead made me feel as though I had come home." Smiling brilliantly, she raised her glass. "To the best friends in any reality," she said softly.

"Here, here," Jack replied softly, raising his own glass aloft. In moments, the soft clinking of glasses was followed by gentle hugs and kisses as the five friends celebrated the happy sentiments.

As they all settled in and began to resume normal conversation, Sha're gazed at each of her friends in turn, feeling a remarkable sense of peace. In fact, she hadn't felt this content since her _last _wedding night. Suddenly, memories from her previous life began to flicker through her mind like scenes from a movie. As the sensations and images began to grow more intense, a shadow passed over the bride's face. "Daniel," she whispered quietly, tugging softly on his sleeve, "I am suddenly not feeling very–" Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped backwards into her chair.

Daniel's voice held a raw edge of panic. "Sha're?" Seeing her unresponsive form sliding sideways, he grabbed her reflexively, sending his water glass to the floor. "_Sha're!_" This time, there was no mistaking the sheer terror in his eyes.

Springing into action, Teal'c stood and helped Daniel pull the unconscious woman from her chair. As Daniel swept her limp form into his arms, Sam was already on her cell phone, notifying the SGC that they may need to prepare an infirmary bed and an Asgard Transporter. Jack had stood and flagged the waiter, asking if there was immediate access to medical care.

As crisis descended upon the team, the familiar acrid tang of adrenaline and fear thrummed grimly through each of their bodies. Still, as familiar as the emotions of the situation were, none of them were comforted by the routine.

With quiet, precise efficiency, the team which had so often saved the universe now fought to save one of their own.

* * *

Less than four hours later, the members of SG-1 sat numbly in the familiar surroundings of the SGC's infirmary. Thanks to the Prometheus and its onboard Asgard transportation technology, the team was able to quickly get home once it became apparent that Sha're's illness was not something easily treatable in a foreign civilian hospital. Still dressed in their eveningwear, the team looked rumpled and distressed.

To Sam, it was a scene which conjured horrible memories of her own shattered wedding day.

Silently taking in the miserable scene, Sam's heart broke into a million pieces every time she looked at Daniel. He'd refused to leave his bride's side for a moment, and was now seated dejectedly at her bedside, tie undone and hanging loosely at his collar. His eyes shone with desperation and unbridled fear.

Swallowing a lump of emotion, Sam turned her attention to her husband. He stood silently in a corner of the small space, eyeing his friend with grim sympathy. Teal'c stood directly beside him, wearing a nearly identical expression.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose in an act of sheer frustration, Sam knew exactly what her husband was thinking. He was feeling guilty for having not investigated the cylinder further. Somehow, Jack seemed convinced that Sha're's answers were inexorably linked to the stone circle which had brought her to this reality. And, even though deep in her heart she reluctantly agreed with him, Sam was still desperately hopeful that Dr. Brightman's recommendation to wait and see if Sha're pulled out on her own panned out.

The alternative – exploring the alien device which had wreaked such havoc in the past – was far too dreadful to contemplate closely.

Sighing softly, Sam stepped close to Daniel and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Whatever the outcome, she knew she could not leave him. He'd been there for her in her own darkest hour. She was committed to being there for him in his.

Silently offering her support, Sam stiffened her spine and prepared for the long night ahead.


	27. Yesterday

A/N: Yes, the angst is back… but at least I didn't kill anyone in this story. (At least, not yet… EVIL AUTHOR'S LAUGH!)

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm a total sap and you all know it. So now, the moment you've all been waiting patiently for...

* * *

Chapter 27

Unwilling to face the tense despair inside Sha're's room, but unable to make himself leave the immediate area, Jack paced the hallway outside the infirmary, mentally berating himself for perhaps the zillionth time in the last six days. Unfortunately, Dr. Brightman's "wait and see" philosophy hadn't panned out this time. Instead, Sha're's EEG showed continuing deterioration in brain function, and her vitals were starting to slowly decline into dangerous territory. They'd put calls into Thor and the Tok'ra, but so far, neither of their allies had been able to offer assistance – the Tok'ra had nothing useful to add, and the Asgard were not in the neighborhood.

Nothing in their own medical repertoire had even touched Sha're's condition. At this point, Dr. Brightman was merely hoping to slow down her patient's deterioration in the hopes that Thor might miraculously appear and save the day. But, as every hour passed, the situation became more and more grim. It now seemed only a matter of time before the inevitable occurred.

And, try as he might, Jack just couldn't step foot into that room and watch as Daniel lost his wife.

Sam, of course, hadn't left their friend's side in days. She'd offered what comfort she could, but it felt a little like trying to put a band-aid on an amputation. After everything Daniel had been through, it seemed beyond cruel that he should have to lose his beloved wife a second time. Once had been more than enough.

Heaving an enormous sigh of helpless discouragement, Jack leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes.

As he did so, the world suddenly seemed to shift sideways on its axis. A veritable tidal wave shook the core of his being as an unruly flood of images, thoughts, and emotions plunged into his conscious mind with ground-shaking force. Feeling as though he'd been literally kicked in the head, Jack found himself falling to his knees with an inarticulate shriek of pain.

_…Jack watched the expression on Sam's face change slowly from amused affection to worried sadness. Though his brain was too muddled to fully wrap itself around the implications of that change, he knew he didn't like seeing her upset. Reaching over to her, he grasped one of her hands in his. "Relax, Sam. We're gonna be fine…"_

_"…Sam." He continued to just look at her, spellbound by the ethereal quality of her beauty. "You're incredible," he said softly…_

_…She blinked up at him in a haze. Though his hand was still snugly nestled beneath her bra, he was looking at her with an unreadable expression. "What?" she whispered anxiously. Without a word, Jack's hand shifted, and in a moment, he pulled it out from beneath her stretchy tank top and held it up. In his grasp was a small tube of zinc oxide ointment. Jack just grinned. "If I'd known you'd been carrying it there all these years, I might have asked to borrow it more often…"_

_…Jack shook his head. "That's our Danny Boy for ya. So focused on his projects that he forgets the simple things." Then, reaching down behind the boulder, Jack picked up the object in question and held it in the air so Sam could see it. She stared in amazement._

_It was Daniel's pack…_

_…Sam closed her notebook and glanced at his irritated expression. "There's one more problem," she said gingerly. _

_"Of course there is," he grumbled. "And that would be…?"_

_"The cliff."__ Sam watched his expression carefully, but could see that her words hadn't quite registered yet. Deciding to refresh his memory, she continued quietly. "The gate was perched near the edge of a cliff. It's pretty likely that by approaching from the far edge of the blast zone, we'll have to climb the cliff to reach the gate…"_

_…With a tidal wave of terror and adrenaline, Jack stood and scrambled for the rope connected to his waist. Frantically searching for the long, trailing end, he finally managed to tug a length of it over the cliff. "Carter!" he yelled, "Grab this! I'll pull you up! …"_

_…Time slowed to the barest of trickles. With gruesome clarity, Jack realized that the creature would be upon her before his hand even reached the Beretta at his side. Frantically, he reached for the pistol, watching with sickening horror as the rabid canine descended upon his second-in-command. He heard himself yelling wordlessly in terror and fury as Carter's arms came up to shield herself from the beast's enormous teeth, but he knew his efforts were completely futile. By the time the weapon in his hand fired the shot that dropped the creature, Jack knew he'd been too late…_

_…She gazed at him with a serene, gentle smile. Unable to form any words in her tattered throat, she mouthed, "I love you." Without taking her eyes from his, she seemed to be reassuring him that this was okay._

_"I love you too, Sam," he choked out between inconsolable sobs. "Just please don't leave me! Please!"_

_And then, in an instant, the last spark of life slipped away from her. With bright sunshine dancing on a warm, summer breeze, Sam's spirit flew into a sky the exact color of her crystal blue eyes…_

_"…There is no need for your weapon. I will not harm you." With a voice that resonated in a strange, breezy harmony, the slight figure didn't even flinch at Jack's violent movements._

_Nearly out-of-his mind with pain and shock, Jack barked a sarcastic laugh, tears still streaming down his rugged face. "Of course not," he ground out, "at the one moment when I'd actually like to meet an angry, ass-kicking bad guy, I get Tinkerbell instead…"_

_…The alien's grey eyes never wavered. "Sit, friend. The sooner we speak, the sooner your Samantha will be returned to you."_

_Jack sat. …_

_…Gently, Sam took his chin in her hand and forced him to meet her understanding gaze. "We both know," she whispered, "that life doesn't always give us the choices we want. That's especially true in our line of work. Even if we didn't face the end of the world every other minute, life doesn't come with any guarantees…"_

_…Swallowing thickly, he glanced away for a moment, trying to collect himself. "I never thought I'd want to be a father again." His whispered confession was issued so softly that she could hardly hear him. "But I'm finding that with you, anything is possible." When he looked back into her eyes, there were tears glimmering in his own. "I think the only thing I could love as much as you would be our child," he said hoarsely…_

_…Sam felt the tension in his body and leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead. "We knew there would be tough decisions to be made at the end of this…"_

_…He looked at Sam's grim features and suppressed a sigh. "Fact is, we have two choices. We can try to forget any of this ever happened and muddle through that particular brand of hell, or we can come clean and ruin both of our careers… not to mention the credibility of SG-1…"_

_…_ _Drawing a deep breath, Sam seemed to be gathering her courage. "You said that we could go home and try to forget any of this ever happened." Meeting his stare head-on, she got to the point. "What if we didn't try to forget – what if we actually did?..."_

_… Slowly meeting both of their gazes in turn, Bett emphasized her next words with a meaningful stare. "It is possible, when removing memories, to build in a failsafe of sorts, ensuring their return if certain conditions are met." The blue alien smiled. "You are allied with the Asgard. Their ability to manipulate consciousness rivals ours. I would program the failsafe to make you believe it was they, and not us, who helped you temporarily erase your memories…"_

_"…That is the amazing feature of the Ring. It does not take a person from one dimension to another, but rather, it transports their consciousness into their extra-dimensional self…"_

_…Bett stepped away from the panel and into the Ring itself. "The Ring is completely useless without the Key that operates it." Pausing, she knelt down and lifted up the circular paving stone that marked the perfect center of the device. Beneath it, a small circle of metal could be seen. In seconds, Bett had depressed a small latch in an adjacent paving stone and a large, silver cylinder gradually rose up from the Ring's center. "This is the Key for our Ring…"_

_"…The builders of the Ring must have worried what would happen if someone accidentally triggered it. For example, if someone just stumbled upon a Key and managed to insert it into a Ring, they could potentially wreak great havoc. So, if the Key is in a zero-state, the Ring will survey the operator's consciousness and transport them to another Ring, nearest to whatever planet they consider home…"_

_…With a trained consciousness, the Ring can do almost anything in a zero-state. It is hypothesized that the builders of the Ring very likely operated it by only using the symbols on the stones and their thoughts, never manipulating the Key at all. We have had a few brilliant scholars who were able to perform simple tasks by using their minds to control the Ring, but these experiments are rarely performed anymore." She shuddered slightly. "Mistakes made during these experiments were sometimes very undesirable. The builders of the Ring must have had amazingly disciplined minds. Even small shifts in conscious thought during mentally-guided operation can have profound effects…"_

_"…You say you've witnessed entropic cascade failure?" When he nodded, she continued. "Imagine that instead of having two separate beings from different dimensions located in the same reality, pretend for a moment that the second consciousness had become inserted into the mind of the first…"_

_"…pretend for a moment that the second consciousness had become inserted into the mind of the first…"_

_"…inserted into the mind of the first…"_

Vaguely, as if awakening from a dream, Jack became aware of voices around him – not voices in his head, but actual people talking nearby. Blinking, he finally found himself able to clear his head of the torrent of images which had just pummeled him to the ground.

"Jack? _Jack!_" Finally, Sam's concerned tone seemed to register in his consciousness.

Looking up at her blearily, he fought to draw breath. "S'okay," he mumbled. "_I'm_ okay," he reassured her.

Not feeling especially comforted, Sam placed a hand on his clammy forehead. "What happened?" she asked somewhat frantically.

"Not sure where to begin," he muttered. Then, starting to regain his bearings, he realized a small crowd of concerned medical staff had gathered around him in the well-lit corridor. "How long was I out?"

Relaxing slightly, now that her husband seemed to be alert and aware of his surroundings, Sam shrugged. "A few minutes. I was sitting with Daniel, when I heard someone yelling for help in the hallway." She suppressed a shudder at the memory. "You were crumpled against the wall, clutching your head. Dr. Brightman said you were awake, but nobody could get through to you."

Suddenly, Jack straightened. "What day is it?" he asked.

Sam blinked at him in confusion. "Saturday," she said, sounding concerned at his apparent non-sequitur.

Jack waved his hand. "No, I mean, what's the _date_?"

Thinking for a moment, Sam's mouth curved into a small smile. "Hey, it's our–" She broke off mid-sentence. Suddenly, her husband's episode made perfect sense to her. "It's our anniversary," she whispered.

Jack nodded. "I thought so." Then, looking at her oddly, he seemed confused. "So why aren't you lying in a heap somewhere, too?"

Looking somewhat guilty, Sam shrugged. "I remembered on the anniversary of your death," she admitted softly. Then, a frown creased her forehead. "Though I don't think my experience was as violent as yours."

Jack gaped at her. "You've known about this since _September?_"

She smiled. "I didn't know how to tell you," she said apologetically. "So I decided to let you remember on your own."

His face was a picture of utter shock. "But… _September?_" As he continued, his words took on an accusing tone. "I know you're afraid of the device, but how could you not say anything about Sha're's condition?"

Sam's face clouded with confusion. "Sha're's condition?" She shook her head. "What are you talking about? All I remembered was our–" Breaking off abruptly, Sam realized they were still surrounded by a crowd of – now very curious-looking – medical personnel. Glaring at them, she cleared her throat.

Sensing that the General wasn't in any immediate danger, Dr. Brightman started shooing people out of the corridor. Within moments, the pair was alone.

Looking into her husband's eyes, Sam's face was a mix of confusion and tenderness. "All I remembered was our affair on 918. Absolutely nothing in my memories has anything to do with Sha're or her illness," she said earnestly.

Slowly, understanding dawned. "Hell, it worked on you," he said quietly.

Sam looked baffled. "_What_ worked on me?"

Jack inhaled slowly. "I'm betting you think Thor was the one who tampered with our brains back on that volcanic planet."

Eyeing her husband nervously, Sam rocked back on her heels. "Are you saying it _wasn't_ Thor?"

Jack nodded. "I have no idea why I remember and you don't – I wasn't supposed to remember, either. But somehow, I know what really happened down there." He took a deep breath. "While we were waiting to be rescued, you–" Breaking off, he suppressed a wince of raw pain before he could continue. "You died, Sam. You were mauled by that giant dog we met at the top of the cliff and you bled to death in front of me."

Sam's blue eyes grew wide as saucers. "How is that possible? I remember the dog – but you were able to shoot it before it did any serious damage."

Exhaling shakily, Jack shook his head. "That's what I thought, too. But the first time he attacked, that's not what happened."

Sam blinked. "The first time?"

Slowly, Jack was able to explain the appearance of Bett and her mastery of the Ring technology. He described the events leading up to Sam's "resurrection" and their eventual decision to relinquish their memories in order to preserve their sanity upon returning to earth.

By the time he was finished, Sam's jaw hung slackly in an expression of mute disbelief. "You're saying it wasn't Asgard technology, but _that Ring_ which erased our memories?"

Jack nodded. "And I now know how Sha're was brought here. Bett said that the Ring had once been operated by her people using sheer power of thought. Apparently, an appropriately well-conditioned mind can alter time, space and consciousness with that thing."

Sam exhaled audibly. "Having been ascended, I'd be willing to bet Daniel's mind would qualify as 'appropriately well-conditioned.'"

Meeting Sam's shaken gaze, Jack swallowed. "There's more," he said grimly. "Bett warned that abusing that thing could be devastating. Apparently, it is possible for two people's memories to exist in the same brain." He winced. "She implied that the results would be worse than that… endo… ergo…" Impatiently, he waved his hand as he tried to find the right word. Sighing, he looked at his wife imploringly. "You know, the thing that happened when there were two of you here at the same time."

Sam's brow furrowed. "Entropic cascade failure?"

Jack nodded.

As her husband's words sank in, Sam sagged in despair. "Then Sha're's condition is hopeless," she whispered.

Steeling his nerve, Jack put his hand under his wife's chin and waited for her to meet his gaze. "Not quite," he said softly.

Not liking the look in his eye at all, Sam's heart plunged even deeper into her belly. "What are you saying?"

With quiet determination, Jack spoke the words they'd all been dreading for months.

"I have to use the Ring."

* * *

A/N: Hope you didn't hate the "Learned By Heart" montage. Sorta cheap, I know, but it was the easiest way to present the regurgitated memories.


	28. Full Circle

A/N: Well, folks, this is it. There will probably be a short epilogue to follow, but this pretty much brings my grand, 3-part saga to a close. More than a quarter-million words, 1300 reviews, and almost 3 years of my life have gone into this epic tale. Glad you've all been along for the ride. Rest assured, I've got plenty of new material up my sleeve. For those of you reading _Torment of Tantalus_, I plan on updating that very shortly. Once that one's wrapped, have I got some great new stuff already on the backburner… _(Evil author grin.__ Again.)_

Thanks again for hanging with me. It's been one hell of a ride.

* * *

Chapter 28

Sam's heart lurched violently at her husband's proclamation. "Jack," she said desperately, "you have no idea how to use that thing."

He looked at her, unblinking. "Yes, I do." There was no arrogance in his words, just a simple statement of fact.

Wanting to believe him, she was nonetheless unconvinced that he could suddenly now operate a device which had eluded the best minds at the SGC for more than a year. "Do you really think you know enough about it to cure Sha're?"

Jack shook his head immediately. "Not a chance in hell," he said.

Sam's eyebrows drew together in an expression of confusion. "Then what are you going to use the ring for?"

He smiled faintly. "To get Bett."

Suddenly, Sam's face paled. "Wait. You mean you're going to step foot in that circle of stones and _activate it_?" Sheer panic rippled through her words. "Do I need to remind you what happened the _last_ two times someone did that?" Her voice took on a frantic, shrill quality.

Jack's eyes glinted with determination. "I know enough about it now to keep anything bad from happening."

Sam did not look reassured. "What about using the gate? Or a ship?"

He shook his head. "The gate really _was_ buried in the eruption. And a ship would take weeks to get there." Gazing at her somberly, he said what they both know to be true. "We'll be lucky if she's got hours left."

Sam's eyes had taken on a glint of raw terror. "Then I'm coming with you," she said desperately.

Closing his eyes, Jack sighed painfully. "Sam, you can't."

The clawing fear which she'd been holding at bay suddenly seemed to overwhelm her. "Why?" she shrieked, tears starting to streak down her face. "Because you don't want our twins to be orphans if you're wrong?"

Jack reached out to her. "Sam–"

Jerking away from him, her eyes held bitter accusation. "Don't!" she sobbed. "Don't be sweet and comforting. _Nothing_ you say is going to make this okay."

"Jack, she's right." The quiet, slightly tired voice from the doorway instantly stopped their conversation.

Jack turned to gaze somberly at the familiar figure. "How much of this did you hear?"

Daniel shrugged. "Enough. And I know that Sha're wouldn't want you risking your life to save her. She made that clear two months ago."

Jack's face darkened. "Damn it, I'm not going to be risking my life," he said sharply. "The worst that could happen is that I'll end up right where I started, bruised and battered for a few weeks, but otherwise unharmed."

Sam swiped her cheeks furiously. "Then why don't you want me to come with?"

Sighing deeply, Jack tried to remain patient as he explained. "Because Bett made it pretty clear that if you use the device without programming the cylinder, you need to be crystal clear about your intended destination. And since I'm the only person with knowledge of Bett's planet, I'm also the only one who can step into that Ring."

Hearing his explanation, Sam's brittle expression wavered. "You really believe you won't be in any danger?"

This time, when Jack reached out to her, she did not pull away. "Sam, I'd _never_ willingly put you through that again," he said quietly. "You're not the only one to live through the ordeal of losing someone you love," he said, reminding her of his earlier description of the giant, alien dog.

Sam swallowed and turned to look at Daniel. His haggard appearance reminded her viscerally of what they were fighting for. He, too, had once experienced the loss of his beloved Sha're. To do so again would be unspeakable.

Seeing the uncertainty still lingering in the faces of his wife and the exhausted archaeologist, Jack exhaled sharply. "Listen, you two. I realize that it's not usually _my_ brilliant leaps of intuition which save our butts on a regular basis, but this time, you're gonna have to trust me." Looking Daniel squarely in the eye, he spoke with absolute conviction. "I can do this," he stated. "I can save her."

Hearing the certainty in her husband's voice, Sam looked at Daniel and nodded once, giving him her blessing. With a tired shrug, Daniel seemed to give in. "Do what you can," he said quietly, not quite willing to believe in miracles again.

Sam walked over and took his hand. "We'll do our best," she whispered.

* * *

Minutes later, the Asgard transporter aboard Prometheus beamed Sam and Jack into a cramped, sweltering tent in the backwaters of Iraq. There, set on the floor, was the now-familiar set of smooth paving stones. A few nervous-looking airmen and scientists stood in one corner of the tent, eyeing the new arrivals uncertainly. The staff at the sparse military outpost had only been notified of their coming moments before they'd appeared. To say that it was unusual to have a commissioned general and his lieutenant-colonel wife drop in unexpectedly was something of an understatement.

"Hi kids," Jack said glibly. "Don't mind us. We're just here to have a little fun with your toy," he quipped, pointing at the stone circle.

The others in the tent seemed far too overwhelmed to do more than nod or mutter their acquiescence.

Sam suddenly gasped. "Jack! We forgot to bring the cylinder!" They'd rushed off the base as soon as it had been logistically possible.

Jack smiled. "Don't need it," he replied. Then, walking to the center of the circle, he quickly located the hidden latch and revealed the shiny top of a metallic device identical to the one currently hidden in Teal'c's "safe place."

Sam gaped. "Are you telling me that's been here the whole time?"

Jack regarded her with a wry smirk. "I'm not sure why it never occurred to us to look for one here."

Raising a hand to her forehead, Sam could only shake her head dumbly. "D'oh!"

Smiling at her use of Homer's classic line, he quickly replaced the central paving stone. Then, looking his wife in the eye, Jack spoke with a confident smile. "This is where you get off," he said, pointing to a spot outside the stone circle.

Inhaling deeply, Sam looked at him with the bravest face she could muster. Before following his directive, she took a step closer and kissed him tenderly on the mouth. "How will I know if it worked?" she asked quietly, trying not to sound as terrified as she felt.

Jack looked into her eyes, proud beyond words of her composure. He wasn't sure he'd be half that brave if the tables were turned. "I won't be here," he said gently.

She swallowed. "When will you come back?"

Shrugging, Jack tried to be reassuring. "As soon as I can," he stated quietly. "Time is of the essence."

Then, with one last kiss brushed over her husband's mouth, Sam pulled herself together and stepped out of the circle, her blue eyes never leaving his familiar brown ones.

"You all might want to stand back a little," he said over his shoulder to the crowd in the corner. He knew better than to ask his wife to move away. Finally, with a wink and a smile at the love of his life, Jack crouched over, placed his palm on the center paving stone, and slowly closed his eyes.

Every hair on Sam's body seemed to stand on end at once. Then, suddenly, with a deafening blast that literally knocked her off her feet, the world seemed to explode in a blinding torrent of white light.

When she was finally able to open her eyes again, Sam looked at the spot where her husband had just been standing moments ago. There, on the smooth surface of the paving stones, sat a small mountain of smoldering ashes.

Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the ground and waited.

* * *

Opening his eyes with a muffled groan, Jack now vividly recalled why he'd been reluctant to mess with that damn device again.

It hurt.

A _lot_.

"I have treated your injuries as best as I could," a musical voice said in his ear, "but I am unfamiliar with your physiology and did not want to do more harm than good."

As his vision came into focus, Jack instantly recognized the alien blue face in front of him. "Bett!" he said warmly. "Good to see you." Suddenly, a shadow crossed his features. Jerking painfully upright, he looked her in the eye. "How long have I been here?"

If she was curious about his unexpected arrival, she did not show it. "Minutes, no more."

Jack sagged in relief. Glancing around at his surroundings, he was relieved to see he'd at least managed to get the "where" of his destination right. The room was the same one he'd been taken to the first time he'd met her. A harmonious mosaic of marble tiles encased the walls and floor of the giant chamber. And, of course, directly beneath his own bruised backside lay the now-familiar Ring. "You know who I am, right?"

Bett's blue face lit up with a smile. "Certainly, Colonel O'Neill. Though I am surprised _you_ know who _I_ am."

Jack exhaled. "Yeah, I'm not sure why that is, either. But before I go any farther, can you tell me how long it's been since we last saw each other?"

The alien paused, apparently thinking. "In your units of time… approximately six years."

Jack stopped, doing the math himself. One year since his wedding, another since Sam got pregnant, and another four since they'd been stranded on this planet together. Relaxing, he realized that he must have been successful in his operation of the Ring. "Good," he exclaimed sincerely. Then, looking into the large, grey eyes across from him, he took a deep breath and tried to figure out where to start.

"You're probably wondering why I'm here…"

* * *

Anxious tension shrouded Sam like a blanket. The gaping scientists had long since given up trying to ask her what Jack had just done with their device. Sam hadn't spoken a word since he'd left – she was nearly unable to. She was terrified that if she opened her mouth, a torrent of hysterical sobs would rush out before she could utter anything remotely coherent. Instead, she sat firmly on the ground, staring at the device with obsessive intensity.

For their part, the other people in the room seemed reluctant to go anywhere near the stones. After what they'd just witnessed, it didn't seem like an especially good idea.

Suddenly, the quiet hum of an Asgard transporter beam sounded behind her. Tearing her eyes away from the circle, she turned to see Teal'c materialize in the tent. Silently, she locked her overly-bright blue gaze with his steady brown one. Without a word, he gracefully settled cross-legged on the ground beside her and gently placed one large hand on her shoulder.

How long they maintained their silent vigil over the still-smoldering ashes, Sam couldn't say. But, just when she thought she might finally give in and start hyperventilating, a second, blinding flash of light erupted from the paving stones.

The first thing Sam noticed was that there was no deafening crash accompanying the light this time. The second thing she noticed was that Jack was standing in the center of the circle beside a willowy blue alien with odd, wispy hair.

Sagging with immeasurable relief, Sam was not terribly surprised to feel wetness on her cheeks. Dimly, she felt Teal'c's strong hand squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. However, her only real focus at that moment was the familiar face of her husband. "Hi," she rasped quietly.

Instantly, Jack strode across the stones and pulled Sam to her feet, wrapping her in a fierce hug. "Hi," he replied, squeezing her tightly. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Sam buried her face in his chest. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Jack smiled carelessly. "Piece of cake." Then, looking back at the small, blue figure in the stone circle, he cleared his throat. "I'd like you to meet someone." He paused. "Or, I suppose, _re-_meet someone."

Stepping forward, the unusual woman examined Sam with a look of tender affection. "You look well, Samantha."

Sam regarded the alien with a faint smile. "Thanks. I'd like to say I remember you, but–"

Bett held up a hand. "There is no need," she said with a smile. "Jack has explained." Then, turning to him, she inclined her head. "Where is the young woman who requires my help?"

Jack looked around. "Oh. Yeah. I suppose we need her here."

Pulling out a small communication device, Sam beat him to the punch. "Prometheus? Can you beam Daniel and Sha're here?"

Seconds later, the shimmering lights of a transporter beam brought Daniel, Sha're, and her entire hospital bed into the now very-crowded tent.

Looking up from the bed, Daniel wore an expression of absolute confusion. "What the…?" He blinked as he realized that he and all his teammates were now sitting in the very place where this leg of his journey had begun. Furthermore, the presence of an odd-looking, blue-tinted woman was undeniably real. Suddenly locking eyes with Jack, Daniel sounded astonished. "It worked?"

Jack, for his part, looked a little hurt. "You doubted me?"

Smiling faintly, Daniel just shrugged. "Mental clarity was never really your thing," he replied.

Jack sighed loudly. "Shows you what _you_ know," he muttered sarcastically.

Quietly taking control of the situation, Bett delicately glided to a spot next to Daniel and placed a hand on his. "I am Bett'sko'Gra'Bethsuana-Ri'patualna am Tro'beldun-Ethpran. You may call me Bett." Seeing a blend of hope and wariness in his eyes, she tried to reassure him. "Your friend has brought me here to help your wife. Colonel–" she stopped, correcting herself, "I mean, _General_ O'Neill has explained the nature of her condition and I believe I can help her."

Daniel looked at her somewhat desperately. "I'm not sure I understand her condition."

She tilted her head to one side, apparently considering her explanation. "When you accidentally activated the Ring, your mind brought this woman," she said, gesturing to Sha're, "into your present reality. But somewhere along the way, you also picked up the consciousness of your dead wife from a time already past." Bett's grey eyes twinkled. "I wish I could tell you more about _how_ you accomplished such a feat, but to my knowledge, this is the first time anything like that has happened."

Daniel's face creased with a worried frown. "But you can help her?"

Bett nodded. "Your wife cannot live with the memories of two people in her head. Up to a point, her mind was able to integrate the two existences, but when the final unlocking of her second consciousness occurred, she was rendered unconscious. Her body has since been fighting to regain control of her mind, but she cannot be successful until the extra memories are purged."

Inhaling sharply, Daniel's eyes reflected understanding. "She's going to lose all her memories of our first life together."

The alien squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I will leave what I can," she said, "but there will be much of your past which is lost to her."

Looking down at the unnaturally still, pale form of his wife, Daniel replied without hesitation. "I'm not concerned with the past," he said quietly. "It's the future I care about."

Smiling at the wisdom in those words, Bett gestured to the stones beneath her feet. "We need to clear the stones. I must have a look at your Key, and then I will need to be placed alone in the circle with your wife."

Quickly, her directives were followed – though maneuvering Sha're's gurney in the small space was decidedly a challenge. As Bett removed the cylinder from the central paving stone, a slight "_Tsk_" clucked from the back of her throat.

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Something wrong?"

Bett shook her head. "Nothing serious. One of the levers on this device was stuck in the wrong position." Looking up at Jack, she smiled ruefully. "This probably explains the unnatural pain and stiffness you experienced after using the Ring." Re-examining the cylinder, she flicked a few switches and levers until she smiled with satisfaction. "There. Now it should work flawlessly."

Moments later, Bett sat quietly in the center of the ring, cylinder replaced into its proper position. "Daniel, please bring your wife here."

Leaning down, Daniel scooped her limp form into his arms and momentarily closed his eyes, memorizing the familiar sensation of her body close to his. Then, with a silent prayer, he walked into the circle and gently lay his beloved Sha're on the warm stones.

Smiling up at him, Bett spoke in her unusual, melodic voice. "She will be well again."

Nodding, Daniel reluctantly stepped back out of the circle and rejoined his colleagues at its perimeter.

Slowly, Bett's eyes fluttered shut as her long, graceful fingers began to trace the worn engravings on the central paving stone. From someplace beneath the earth, a deep, comforting vibration resounded in the tent.

The air seemed to thicken and time slowed down. Individual motes of dust hung suspended in space, timelessly existing for an eternity and more. Odd sounds and shifting flickers of light seemed to be happening someplace just out of sensory range. No one could say just how long they all stood, observing the procedure in awed silence. But when the Ring finally grew silent and Bett stood up, daylight no longer shone from the door of the tent.

Looking weary but pleased, Bett stepped over to Daniel and took his hand. Gesturing to his wife's still form on the floor below, she smiled gently. "She is merely asleep. I'm sure she would be pleased if she woke to your presence."

Daniel blinked, hardly able to believe his Sha're was really okay. "Did everything…" he trailed off, not even sure how to ask about the events he'd just witnessed.

Seeming to understand, Bett's grey eyes shone with contentment. "All is well. She will still have some memory of her first life with you, though none of the dark consciousness which shared her mind remains. She will not be able to recall those terrible days."

Nodding, Daniel smiled faintly. Certainly _those_ were memories that were best sent to oblivion. Then, swallowing somewhat nervously, he took a deep breath and stepped into the stone circle. Kneeling on the ground, he leaned over her sleeping figure and placed a soft, tender kiss on her lips.

With a gentle flutter, Sha're's thick eyelashes parted, revealing dark eyes clouded with drowsiness. "Daniel?" she asked sleepily, "what happened?"

Seeing the clarity in her lovely brown eyes, Daniel felt a sob catch in his throat. She really _was_ okay. She was here with him. Forever. Finally, for the first time in years, he could look forward to an unblemished future full of love and happiness. Gathering her into his arms, his gaze swept over the smiling, familiar faces of his dearest friends.

Inhaling deeply, Daniel relished the sweet scent of her hair as his hands eagerly rubbed the contour of her back. After a moment, he placed a soft kiss on the crown of her head and quietly answered her question.

"Nothing more than a little bump in the road," he explained softly. "From here on out, I promise it'll be nothing but happily-ever-after."

And, because of the immeasurable love present in the hearts assembled that day, it was.

* * *

A/N: For those of you wanting the sappy reminiscence of the repressed memories on the volcanic planet, you can relax. It'll be in the epilogue.


	29. Epilogue: Closing Statements

A/N: I'm sure there are loose ends I'm forgetting, but I think this wraps most of it up. Enjoy!

* * *

Epilogue

Twelve hours later, an odd assembly of people gathered in the SGC's main conference room. In addition to Sha're and the members of SG-1, General Hammond and Dr. Brightman sat around the large, wooden table, gazing quietly at their assembled offworld guests. Bett had decided to stay and learn more about the world she'd heard so much about from Sam and Jack, and Thor had finally materialized earlier that morning. Now, as they all sat in companionable silence, it was obvious that alliances had been formed which were beneficial to everyone involved.

Breaking the stillness, General Hammond rose from his seat. Looking to the blue-skinned woman across the table, he smiled wryly. "I normally pride myself on greeting guests with their proper, official titles. However, I hope you're not offended that I've not yet mastered your full name, Bett."

She chuckled, filling the room with a melodic, tinkling sound. "I will not be offended," she said warmly, "so long as you are not offended with my clumsy understanding of your ranking system." Bett had earlier listened patiently to Sam's explanation of military ranks, but was still not quite clear on the rank equivalencies between the various service branches, or the different grades of ranking officers. "I'm still struggling to learn the subtleties."

Hammond smiled. "Don't worry," he reassured her, "there are plenty of people on _this_ planet who don't understand them, either.'' Gazing at the doorway, his face grew somewhat pinched. "We'll get underway in just a moment," he said quietly. "We're just waiting for one more person."

In his seat next to Hammond, Jack furrowed his brow. "Really? Who's missing?"

Right on cue, the smug, suit-clad figure of Richard Woolsey appeared in the entrance. "I apologize for the delay," he said crisply, "But I was detained by your security personnel while a _DNA scan_ was done." His eyes shone with displeasure as he glared directly at Jack, clearly indicating he knew where that particular order had originated.

For his part, Jack just smiled. "C'mon, Dick. Can't be too careful with all those mimic devices running around." His brown eyes sparkled innocently. "You wouldn't want us to compromise base security, would you?"

Woolsey didn't say a word, but sat down stiffly in an empty seat.

Clearing his throat, Hammond seemed ready to get down to business. "This is Mr. Richard Woolsey, here on behalf of a civilian intelligence agency called the NID. He has joined us today for a discussion of the relationship between Earth and its new allies in the galaxy." Looking at Bett's delicate features, he smiled warmly. "We owe several debts of gratitude to Bett and her people. Apparently, she has personally stepped in to save the lives of our people on more than one occasion. For that, we cannot ever hope to repay her."

Bett waved his thanks away casually. "Think not of repayment," she said. "In our millennia of self-imposed isolation, the presence of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter on our planet was a much-needed breath of fresh air." Suddenly, she smiled wryly. "I suppose I should refer to them as General and Colonel O'Neill, now."

Sam smirked. "I wouldn't worry about it," she said dryly. "There are people in this very room who still use my maiden name on a regular basis." Staring pointedly across the table to her husband, she made no effort to hide who her comment was aimed at.

Jack didn't look remotely unsettled. "Habit," he said with an unapologetic shrug.

Eyes glimmering with spirit, Sam slowly turned to Woolsey. "General O'Neill never uses my married name," she explained. "Which is why, when he called me 'O'Neill' in his office that day, I knew something was very wrong." Her smile, more a bearing of teeth than an expression of pleasure, never really reached her eyes. "Call it a soldier's intuition."

Looking somewhat perturbed by her comments, Woolsey sniffed disdainfully. "Yes, well, on paper it sounded ridiculous."

Jack eyed him sharply. "On paper, most of what we do here sounds ridiculous. In fact," he said, looking around, "I dare youto describe the occupants of this room in a report _without_ sounding ridiculous." Pausing for effect, he cleared his throat and pretended to jot notes down on the legal pad in front of him. "…large alien warrior with an empty Goa'uld-motel in his belly…" He scribbled a few more notes. "… little grey guy with a really big brain… and a woman resembling a windblown, overgrown smurf." Smiling, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy the look of displeasure on Woolsey's face.

Across the table, Bett leaned close to Sam and whispered, "Dare I ask what a 'smurf' is?"

Smothering a laugh, Sam shook her head. "Probably not. But I'll fill you in later."

Trying to steer the conversation back to neutral territory, Hammond cleared his throat a second time. "As I was saying," he said forcefully, "we are exceptionally pleased to have made a new ally in the universe. We understand Bett's reluctance to share her people's technology, but we sincerely hope we can continue to have a relationship with them, in spite of their protective instincts."

Bett nodded. "We, too, are exceedingly glad to have forged this friendship. After Jack and Samantha left our planet six years ago, my people began a long discussion about our solitary ways. Their presence in our society reminded us on how much we were missing by closing ourselves off from other worlds. As a people which prides itself on art, culture, and new ideas, it was suddenly clear that we had stunted our own growth by dedicating ourselves solely to protecting the Ring."

Across the table, Jack raised his eyebrows. "Oh, I don't know. You guys have amazing taste in bathrooms." When more than a few people in the room looked at him oddly – not the least of all his wife – he merely shrugged. They really _did_ have fantastic bathrooms.

Smiling at Jack's offbeat sense of humor, Bett continued to address the room. "On behalf of my people, I have decided to start a journey of exploration through the stargate system. For millennia, we have worried that exposing our race could lead to conflict or strife in the galaxy, because of our knowledge of the Ring. However, most of that decision was based on the assumption that we had the only working Ring in the galaxy. Now that two others have been found in an extremely short period of time, I can only assume that there are many others still undiscovered in our universe. As the Rings' self-appointed protectors, my race would feel negligent if we did not actively engage in searching for them. And so, as an ambassador of my people, I will start combing the universe for more of these devices in the hopes that this technology never falls into evil hands."

General Hammond nodded soberly. "For that, we are very grateful. If there is any way we can assist you, please do not hesitate to ask."

Bett chuckled musically. "I'm glad you have offered," she said candidly. "For I am afraid I have no idea where to start looking!"

Jack shrugged. "You might want to start by having a look at P3X-812. The area around the Ring there is very similar to the ruins on your planet's surface. Maybe there are other clues to be found there."

Sam shook her head, smiling wryly. "Well, at least we now know what your psychic abilities were all about," she said with a chuckle. At Bett's confused look, she explained quickly. "Jack has been having odd flashes of intuition, mostly in connection to the Ring, for quite some time now. We had no idea how he could know so much. Now, it's pretty obvious some of his memories from our time on your planet were bleeding through."

Unexpectedly, Thor's voice chimed in at that point. "I'm afraid we are responsible for that," he said apologetically, inclining his head slightly toward Bett. "Several years ago, O'Neill had the entire Ancient database downloaded into his brain. When we erased the data, I fear we damaged the memory alterations you performed."

Bett looked puzzled. "But, didn't General O'Neill have the Ancient data erased _before_ he came to my planet?"

Daniel's mouth quirked into a half-smile as he intercepted the question. "The first time, yes."

Bett's eyes widened as she turned to Jack. "You've had the entire Ancient database downloaded into your head _twice_?"

Jack shrugged. "Eh, who's counting?"

Bett shook her head slowly. "Well, I suppose that would account for the anomaly. And, all things considered, it turned out to be a blessing in the long run," she said, smiling warmly at Sha're.

Sha're nodded graciously. "I am very fortunate, both for the error and for your willingness to help when Jack contacted you."

Bett waved a hand. "Think nothing of it," she insisted. "As guardians of the Ring technology, we were pleased to help."

Across the table, Jack noticed a thoughtful look settle on his wife's face. "Carter, what'cha thinking?" Typically, when Sam had bursts of intuition, they were worth listening to.

Sam's face instantly reddened, embarrassed at being singled out in front of the large group. "It's nothing, really." Seeing that nobody was very satisfied with that explanation, she shifted awkwardly in her seat and looked at Bett with an uncomfortable smile. "I was just thinking that you remind me of someone."

Bett's face grew thoughtful. "Perhaps your species is not a good candidate for memory reprogramming with the Ring. It is possible that your memories are also bleeding through."

Sam shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that," she said immediately. "It's just," she flushed as she continued, "you look a lot like another species we've encountered."

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Who?"

Sam shrugged self-consciously. "Don't you think they resemble the Nox? Something about the tinted skin and fluffy hair just reminds me of them."

Beside her, Sam's words had a rather unexpected effect on Bett. Her grey eyes widened and she openly gaped at the other woman. "The Nox are my people's ancient ancestors," she said quietly. "It is through our familial ties with the Nox that we are allied with the Asgard. I was not aware you were acquainted with them."

Daniel smiled. "They're an amazing race."

Bett looked flabbergasted. "It has been many millennia since we last had contact with The Nox. It is good to know their culture still flourishes."

Thor looked at her curiously. "Surely you were aware that the Asgard still have many ties with the Nox. I could have arranged a meeting with them, had you asked. I still can, should you desire it."

For her part, Bett looked almost embarrassed. "I was not sure they would welcome such a meeting. We did, after all, choose to leave their homeworld in pursuit of the Ring technology."

Thor's unblinking eyes regarded her steadily. "In my experience, the Nox have welcomed all who come to them with peaceful intentions."

Across the table, Jack nodded. "Heck, they even like _us_."

Bett looked overwhelmed, but pleased. "Then they shall be the first stop on my journey." Looking around the room, she smiled warmly. "This has been a most beneficial meeting."

The happy mood in the room was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat loudly. "Well, I'm glad you've found your long-lost relatives, but we do still have further matters to discuss." Woolsey's voice grated like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Sensing his abrasive attitude, Bett regarded him coolly – an action made all the more effective by her pale blue skin tone. "What are your concerns, Mr. Woolsey?"

Not looking especially impressed or unsettled, Woolsey spoke in his trademark dispassionate, nasal whine. "Clearly, your civilization has made itself the self-appointed guardian of Ring technology. However, as a representative of the citizens of this planet, I am here to formally inform you that any interference in our investigation of this technology would be considered an act of aggression. Since the device was found on this planet, it is rightfully ours to explore."

Jack's eyes had narrowed dangerously during the course of Woolsey's tirade. As he opened his mouth to issue his own, loud and uncensored opinion, he was cut off by the brisk words of his wife.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Woolsey, our Key was damaged beyond repair during the procedure which healed Sha're. Since it is useless to us, we have already donated it to Bett's people for research, since they clearly have a better understanding of the technology than anyone on this planet." Sam eyed the lawyer coldly as she spoke.

Woolsey bristled with indignation. "Who gave you the authority to do that?"

Jack smiled. "Our head of Homeworld Security," he replied, gesturing smugly toward General Hammond. "He decided it was in Earth's best interest to further our alliance with Bett's people, especially since the device was useless to us."

Woolsey's eyes narrowed. "In the future," he said tightly, "I would think decisions of that magnitude would only be made with members of the NID present for deliberations."

Hammond spoke sternly. "There were no deliberations. An immediate, military decision was required, and I made it."

Huffing, the lawyer looked annoyed, but not defeated. "Well, at least we still have the device from P3X-812 to study."

Jack smiled. "Yeah… About that…"

Woolsey rounded on him. "_What_ about that?"

He shrugged. "It seems the device was lost in transit to Area 51."

The other man's eyes sharpened with knife-like intensity. "It had better be _found_ in short order," he said threateningly.

Jack regarded him darkly. "Surely, you're not implying _I_ had anything to do with its misplacement? After all, rogue NID agents have accidentally misplaced _dozens_ of pieces of technology. I think it's far more likely that a member of _your_ organization has the cylinder than anyone from the SGC. Maybe you'd better do some housecleaning, Dick."

Woolsey's enraged face didn't shift an inch. "For someone who's just lost track of the single most important discovery to be made on our planet since the stargate, you certainly don't sound very upset." His accusing tone spoke volumes about his beliefs.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe that's because I'm wise enough to know that all the technology in the universe is worthless without allies to support and inform us. I'm certain, should need for Ring technology arise, our new friends on Bett's planet would be available to guide us."

Glaring at each of the others in the room, Woolsey rose from his chair stiffly. "Then I have no reason to participate in this meeting."

Grinning evilly, Jack didn't look remotely disturbed by the statement. "Don't let the door hit you in the–"

Cutting him off before he could insult the man further, Hammond spoke crisply. "Mr. Woolsey, I'm sure we'll be hearing from you sooner than later. Until then, you can rest assured that our world is safer for the addition of its new ally."

Wordlessly, Woolsey stormed from the room, unappeased by Hammond's effort at diplomacy.

Jack smiled. "Gee, I'm really sorry he had to leave like that."

Across the table, Bett suppressed a smile. "Yes. A shame," she said, not sounding at all sincere.

Rolling his eyes at his subordinates' new partner in crime, Hammond nonetheless looked fairly cheerful himself. "In any event," he said to Bett, "We are most appreciative of your help in this matter. If there is anything else we can do for you, please name it."

Bett's eyes sparkled. "Well, actually, there is _one_ thing…"

* * *

Glancing around the familiar tiled cavern, Jack shifted nervously in his very comfortable seat. At their newest ally's official request, he'd agreed to become Earth's Ambassador to Bett's planet – what else could he do? – but diplomatic missions had never sat very well with him. Especially when he had no idea where his wife had been spirited off to.

They'd arrived on Bett's planet hours ago via Asgard ship. Bett knew all about their "loss" of the cylinder, and approved whole-heartedly. So long as they cylinder remained safely tucked away in Teal'c's hiding place, it was protected from misuse by unscrupulous NID agents or careless SGC scientists. Still, by keeping the cylinder, they had an emergency plan for getting in touch with Bett's people should the need arise. Of course, since the Ring was now publicly out-of-commission, the Asgard remained their only official mode of transport to the isolated volcanic planet.

Trying not to fidget, Jack forced his mind to more pleasant thoughts of the previous afternoon. After their official meeting at the SGC, he'd arranged to have Bett and Thor beamed to his and Sam's new, suburban house for a home-cooked meal. Picturing the look on Thor's face at the sight of smothered pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, Jack smiled in spite of himself.

Entertaining aliens was always… well… entertaining.

Bett, on the other hand, had thoroughly enjoyed the meal. She'd been especially tickled to meet the twins. Apparently, her own people had a very low birth rate, due to their long life-spans. Children were rare enough on her planet. Twins were nearly unheard of.

Sam and Jack had spent much of the evening explaining their family history to the woman. Thor, of course, was familiar with the story, but nonetheless seemed fascinated to hear it retold. Apparently, nothing so bizarre and accidental ever happened amongst the Asgard – especially since they no longer reproduced by the, er, _standard_ method.

Bett had been charmed by the tale, but completely unsurprised by the ultimate outcome. Being away from the SGC and its ever-present surveillance, she felt comfortable in discussing Sam and Jack's time on her planet openly. She remarked that she'd never seen two people more affectionate with one another in the entirety of her very long life.

It was funny, really. The only people in the universe who knew about the relationship he and Sam had shared on the volcanic planet were both aliens – though he sometimes got the feeling that Daniel and Teal'c both suspected it. Of course, he reassured himself, they couldn't know anything with certainty, since no evidence of their affair had survived. Even his own memories of that time had been erased for years.

In the days since Sha're had been healed, Jack had finally had time to digest the wave of images and feelings that he'd been bombarded with on his anniversary. Smiling to himself even now, he was exceptionally glad to have that part of his life back inside his head. He liked to think that he and Sam would have eventually gotten their act together, even without their run-in with the Colonists and their Ka'Shaak. It was reassuring to know that they had, indeed, given into their powerful feelings for one another at one time. He no longer doubted that, even without the intervention of Fate, his wife would have eventually kicked Shanahan's sorry ass to the curb and made her way back to the man she was meant to be with.

Either that, or Jack would have shipped the smarmy bastard to some unmapped jungle planet on the galaxy's far reaches for all eternity.

Yeah… Maybe it was best things had worked out the way they did.

Suddenly, Jack was pulled from his musings by the gentle whirring sound of the chamber's door opening. Looking up, he was relieved to see his lovely wife walking into the room holding a small cardboard shipping box. "There you are," he said affectionately. "I was wondering if they'd whisked you off to be cloned or something."

Sam smiled at her husband's offbeat humor. "As much as I'm sure you'd love having two of me around, it was nothing that dramatic. Bett just had a few things to give me."

Looking at the box curiously, Jack raised his eyebrows. "What, like documents?"

She shook her head. "Nope." Putting the box down on a nearby table, she stepped over to her husband and sat down on his lap. "Like my memories of what really happened on this planet six years ago." Smiling warmly at him, she leaned close and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "And, for the record, you're right. They really _do_ have amazing bathrooms here."

As she closed in to give him a second, decidedly more passionate kiss, Jack was overwhelmed by memories of their last night together on this planet all those years ago. They'd been so in love, so glad to be alive, and so terrified of what the future would bring for their relationship. It had been a bittersweet experience, and one that Sam hadn't remembered on the anniversary of his death, because it had been locked away with all the other memories of Bett's people. Holding her now, he could sense the deep emotions stirred by those memories. Pulling away slightly, he looked into her eyes and ran a tender hand down her cheek. "We really had no idea how this was all going to turn out."

She shook her head slightly. "No, we didn't. Now, however, I'd have to say it all turned out pretty spectacularly." She gazed at him lovingly. "Wouldn't you?"

He smiled, brown eyes twinkling with mischief. "So far, so good. Though, I was just thinking…" he trailed off, placing soft, wet kisses along her jawline.

Shivering at the delightful sensation, Sam smiled and closed her eyes. "You were _thinking_?" she replied, automatically leaping at the chance to tease him.

Pausing in his delicate pursuit, he drew away and leveled a dry stare at her. When her blue eyes popped open, she laughed in spite of herself. "I'm sorry," she said, sounding but less than sincere, "but I couldn't help myself." When his gaze remained unchanged, she schooled her features into a more serious expression. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Tell me, dear, what, exactly, you were thinking."

Smiling at their familiar, easy banter, Jack immediately returned to the task of seducing his wife. Nibbling gently on her earlobe, his next words were issued in a husky murmur. "I was just thinking that Janelle and Jonathan might really like a little brother or sister for their next birthday…"

Sam's face transformed into a happy smile. Closing her eyes once again, she tilted her head to the side and allowed him better access to the sensitive skin on the side of her neck. "How about that?" she sighed dreamily. "Apparently, you really are psychic, because I think you just read my mind."

* * *

Back on Earth, Teal'c, Daniel, and Sha're sat in front of the television in the living room of the newlyweds' tastefully decorated home. Opening a box of pizza fresh from the delivery truck, Daniel smiled contentedly. "It doesn't get much better than this," he said with a satisfied sigh.

Teal'c reached into the box and took a steaming slice with his trademark half-smile. "Indeed," he said warmly.

Beside her husband, Sha're looked from one man to the other with amusement. "I'm pleased you are both in such good moods this evening, though I'm not sure I understand what we're celebrating." Clearly, the presence of pizza and beer, combined with the contagious smiles on both men's faces, marked the occasion as an official celebration of… something.

Daniel's smile broadened into a grin. "Teal'c and I are congratulating ourselves on a job well-done, that's all."

Sha're looked at him curiously. "A job well done? Just what did your job entail?"

Sharing a silent look with the Jaffa, the two men apparently agreed to let Daniel's wife in on their secret. "Well," Daniel explained slowly, "six years ago, when Sam and Jack were stranded on Bett's planet, they had a little… um…" He trailed off delicately, flushing in embarrassment.

Sha're's eyes sparked as she helpfully supplied an appropriate word. "Fun?" Her playful attitude made it clear she had a pretty good idea of what Daniel was trying to communicate.

Hearing his wife's suggestive tone, Daniel smiled and nodded. "Of course, when they finally returned, no one had any idea that they'd…" he stopped, searching for words again.

Sha're finished his thought smoothly. "… gotten to know each other so well?"

Daniel chuckled. "Right. Anyway, right after they got back, Teal'c and I discovered some, uh, _evidence_ of what had really happened on the planet." Seeing his wife's eyebrows shoot up, he rushed to explain. "Nothing too racy, I promise. Just a rather suggestive audio recording." He looked at Teal'c for a moment. "Of course, there were also the thermal images we'd taken of their tent, which showed a rather cozy _single_ spot of heat instead of two separate warm bodies."

As the large warrior smiled at the memory, Sha're laughed in delight. "So, you two knew about their affair all this time?"

Looking back at his wife, Daniel nodded. "Yes. And, ironically, we were the _only_ ones who knew – aside from Bett, of course. Teal'c and I assumed that Sam and Jack were being noble and had decided to pretend their relationship hadn't changed – which, in a sense they had. However, after talking to Bett yesterday, I discovered that they'd gone about forgetting their time together in a rather unique way." He looked at his wife pointedly. "It seems that memories of Bett's people weren't the only things erased from Sam and Jack's minds."

Sha're's eyes widened. "Memories of their newly forged relationship were purged, as well." It was a statement, not a question. "They must have felt that sacrificing their feelings was preferable to having them interfere with their ongoing mission to destroy the Goa'uld."

Daniel nodded. "This is where things get really interesting. Apparently, Bett was able to permanently erase any reference to her people from their minds, while leaving a doorway for them to remember their affair at some point in the future. Sam and Jack requested to have those memories return one year after the marriage or death of either of them." Leaning forward, Daniel's eyes glinted with amusement. "And Sam's programming went off without a hitch. One year after Jack 'died' in the Ring accident, she recovered her memories of their time together. But, per Bett's encoding, Sam thought it had been the Asgard who'd repressed her memories."

Sha're's jaw dropped. "And Jack did not get his memories back at that time because the conditions in his brain had not yet been met."

Daniel smiled. "Now you understand how complex this whole thing is. See, everyone at the SGC assumes that Jack's memory returned because his subconscious brain understood how important those memories were to your survival."

Eyes widening, Sha're looked from Daniel to Teal'c and back again. "This is not the case?" she asked expectantly.

Daniel shook his head. "Nope. It turns out you just happened to be on death's doorstep exactly one year after Jack said his vows to Sam on the Colonial Planet."

Sha're looked stunned. "My goodness," she said faintly, realizing how close she'd come to dying. "Fate has surely smiled on us, Daniel."

Reaching over, he brushed a lock of hair from her lovely, olive-skinned face. "No kidding," he agreed softly.

She smiled at the tender look in his eyes. "So this is why we celebrate?"

Chuckling, Daniel had the good grace to look somewhat embarrassed. "Well, that's part of it." Glancing back at Teal'c, the two men shared another smile. "The rest of it is that, after hearing the whole story, Teal'c and I came clean to Bett about our knowledge of their earlier relationship." He grinned. "Turns out, she's got almost as warped a sense of humor as Jack."

Sha're's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Daniel," she said, sounding both amused and admonishing at the same time, "what did you do to our friends?"

Daniel's eyes sparkled. "Nothing terrible," he hedged with a smile.

Teal'c finally came clean. "We sent a copy of the thermal images and audio tape with Bett when she returned home yesterday." His normally stoic expression took on a decidedly satisfied cast.

Daniel laughed aloud. "She said she'd give Sam and Jack our little gift at an opportune moment." He sat back with a satisfied look of his own. "Of course, we included a little message for them."

Groaning, Sha're covered her face in her hands. "Daniel," her tone was touched with mortification, "you will embarrass them both horribly when they find out all you have known and kept secret for the past six years."

Looking totally unapologetic, Daniel just smiled. "Yep," he said matter-of-factly.

Glancing from between her fingers, Sha're met his dancing blue eyes gingerly. "Dare I ask about the _rest_ of your message?"

Daniel's impish grin was less than reassuring.

* * *

Halfway across the galaxy, Jack padded across the sitting room of his guest suite, wearing nothing more than a towel. After spending the better part of the evening becoming reacquainted with their fantastic bathing chamber, Sam and he had decided to retire to their bedroom for a little sleep.

Or… _whatever_.

As he walked through the sitting area, however, the sight of a small, cardboard shipping container caught his eye. "Hey Sam," he called out to the bedroom, where his wife was currently sliding beneath the sheets. "What's in the box?"

Sam's voice replied drowsily, "I'm not sure. Bett said it was from Daniel and Teal'c."

Jack regarded the box curiously. "Mind if I open in?"

"Knock yourself out," she called back with a yawn.

Smiling at the satisfied exhaustion he heard in her tone, Jack walked over to the box, dropped down into a chair, and pulled off the packing tape. Opening the carton, he was startled by the first thing he saw. It was a note, clearly written in Daniel's rushed, spidery handwriting.

_Jack, _

_Don't worry. I packed this myself. _

_Daniel_

With a sinking feeling in his gut, Jack carefully removed the contents of the box and laid each item inside on the table beside it. When he was finished, there were three items staring up at him.

The first was a manila envelope.

The second was an audio-cassette-recorder.

And the third was a giant, economy-sized box of condoms.

"Sam, honey," he called out weakly, "I think you'd better come take a look at this…"

* * *

A/N: Well, folks, that's all she wrote! Hope you enjoyed it!


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